Sleep disorders among South Indian computer professionals and the beneficial effect of blue light filters

Abstract

Background: Prolonged exposure to light emitted from screen-based devices has been known to cause sleep disturbances. Although computer professionals have high screen exposure and screen exposure is known to cause sleep disturbances, there is no published literature on sleep disorders among computer professionals. Aims and Objectives: To find out the prevalence of sleep disorders among computer professionals in South India and their association with risk factors like screen time and duration of work. Material and Methods: Data were collected online from computer professionals working in South India using a structured questionnaire in Google Forms. The form contained questions on demographics, medical history, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaire. Data were entered in Microsoft Excel and analyzed using SPSS 17. The chi-square test, odds ratio, Kruskal–Wallis test, and regression analyses were used. Results: The prevalence of sleep disorders among computer professionals in South India was found to be 63.3%. Sleep latency was found to be the most significant contributor to the total PSQI score. Significantly associated risk factors were daily and weekly work duration and daily screen time. Working for more than 8 h a day was found to be the single independent risk factor for 7.9% of those with sleep disorders. Using a blue-light filter was found to be protective. Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of sleep disorders among computer professionals. Interventions like monitoring the daily duration of screen exposure and total daily work hours and periodic evaluation of the sleep health of computer professionals are crucial to reducing morbidity and early mortality.