Polysomnographic sleep parameters in young adult males with poor subjective sleep quality: A cross-sectional comparative study against normative values

Sleep quality significantly affects cognitive capacities, metabolic functions, and overall well-being in young adult males. However, most studies on sleep disruption in this population rely on self-reported surveys rather than objective assessments, limiting understanding of actual sleep architecture. This cross-sectional comparative study aimed to examine polysomnographic sleep characteristics of young adult males with poor subjective sleep quality compared to established normative values of healthy groups. Sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh sleep quality index, and polysomnography (PSG) was conducted in a controlled laboratory environment. Comprehensive sleep parameters analyzed included total sleep time (TST), sleep efficiency (SE), sleep onset latency (SOL), rapid eye movement (REM) onset latency (ROL), wakefulness (WK), and sleep stages N1, N2, N3, and REM sleep. Independent t-tests were used for PSG data comparison. The study found that young adult males with poor subjective sleep quality had significantly lower TST (t = −7.04, p<0.001), WK (t = −2.721, p=0.01), N2 (t = −5.993, p<0.001), and REM sleep (t = −21.532, p<0.001). Conversely, SE (t = 19.50, p<0.001), SOL (t = 4.75, p<0.001), ROL (t = 3.61, p=0.001), N1 (t = 18.98, p<0.001), and N3 (t = 11.119, p<0.001) were significantly higher. These findings indicate that young adult males with poor subjective sleep quality exhibited significantly different architecture. Notably, their high SE despite perceived poor sleep highlights a discrepancy between subjective perception and objective sleep metrics.