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Published in: International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health 2/2024

Open Access 28-12-2023 | Original Article

Sleep quality, sleep duration, and sleep disturbances among hospital night workers: a prospective cohort study

Authors: Fleur van Elk, Bette Loef, Karin I. Proper, Alex Burdorf, Suzan J. W. Robroek, Karen M. Oude Hengel

Published in: International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health | Issue 2/2024

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Abstract

Purpose

This study aimed to assess among hospital night workers (i) to what extent sleep quality, sleep duration and sleep disturbances overlap, and (ii) associations between sociodemographic factors, lifestyle factors and work characteristics and sleep components.

Methods

Data were used from 467 hospital night workers participating in the Klokwerk + study, a prospective cohort study with two measurements. Sleep quality was measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, sleep duration and sleep disturbances were measured by the Medical Outcomes Study Sleep Scale. The overlap between the three sleep measures was visualized with a Venn diagram and the proportions of overlap was calculated. Associations between independent variables (sociodemographic factors, lifestyle factors and work characteristics) and the three sleep outcomes were estimated using between–within Poisson regression models.

Results

About 50% of the hospital night workers had at least one poor sleep outcome. Overlap in poor sleep outcomes was apparent for 36.8% of these workers, while the majority had a poor outcome in one of the sleep components only (63.1%). Former smoking had a significant association with poor sleep quality. For most independent variables no associations with poor sleep outcomes were observed.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that sleep quality, sleep duration and sleep disturbances are separate entities and should be studied separately. Lifestyle factors and work characteristics were generally not associated with poor sleep. Since these factors can have an acute effect on sleep, future research should consider ecological momentary assessment to examine how exposure and outcomes (co)vary within-persons, over time, and across contexts.
Trial registration Netherlands Trial Register trial number NL56022.041.16.
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Metadata
Title
Sleep quality, sleep duration, and sleep disturbances among hospital night workers: a prospective cohort study
Authors
Fleur van Elk
Bette Loef
Karin I. Proper
Alex Burdorf
Suzan J. W. Robroek
Karen M. Oude Hengel
Publication date
28-12-2023
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in
International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health / Issue 2/2024
Print ISSN: 0340-0131
Electronic ISSN: 1432-1246
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-023-02033-z

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