0785 Associations Between Circadian Preference And Sleep-related Thoughts: Data From The 2015 Sleep In America Poll

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Evening types of sleep tend to have poorer sleep quality and sleep habits than morning types. Maladaptive beliefs or thoughts about sleep can affect one’s sleep and may differ between evening and morning types. We examined the association between the circadian preference and sleep-related thoughts in U.S adults. Methods A secondary analysis used survey data from the 2015 National Sleep Foundation’s Sleep in America Poll. Questions included normal bedtime and wake-up time for week/work days and weekend/non-work days. Circadian preference was determined by midpoint of sleep calculated as midpoint of sleep on weekends corrected for average nightly sleep duration. Participants were excluded if their sleep midpoint was from noon to midnight. Midpoint of sleep was divided into two groups using median split (“earlier” vs. “later”). Sleep-related thoughts were “worry about getting a good sleep”, “overwhelming thoughts about getting enough sleep”, “motivation to get sleep”, and “concern about serious physical consequences due to poor sleep”; responded often/always or extremely to somewhat for these items were coded as maladaptive. Logistic regression analysis controlling for socio-demographics, sleep duration, and sleep disturbance (PROMIS Scale; higher scores = greater sleep disturbance) was conducted to examine the relationships between midpoint of sleep and sleep-related thoughts. Results The sample (N = 1011) was primarily White (73.6%), male (50.9%), college educated (62.2%), married/partnered (67.6%) with a mean age of 51.65 ± 17.05 years. Mean midpoint of sleep in “earlier” type was 2:33AM and 5:29AM in “later” type. “Later” type had shorter sleep duration on weekdays and longer sleep duration on weekends than “earlier” type (p < .01), but average sleep duration was similar between two types. “Later” type had more “worry” and “overwhelming thoughts” (p < .05) about sleep. In logistic models, midpoint of sleep was significant only for “concern” (p = .02). Conclusion In this study, late chronotype was associated with increased sleep disturbances and greater variability in sleep duration. The relationship between the timing of sleep and thoughts about the impact of impaired sleep remains unclear and an area for further study with objective measures. Support