1211 Habitual Sleep Duration Associated with Endorsement of Sleep Disorders Symptoms: Data from the Online Sleep Health Screening Project

Abstract Introduction Specific sleep disorders symptoms most strongly associated with reduced sleep time in a real-world setting are not well characterized. Hence, this study analyzes data from a screening questionnaire to explore how the frequency of common sleep symptoms relates to self-reported sleep duration. Methods Participants completed an online sleep health screener (https://sleephealthscreen.com). This consists of the Sleep Disorders Symptom Check List (SDSCL), as well as several questions establishing respondent characteristics. All responses are anonymous. All consecutive responses to the questionnaire were included, following cleaning for duplicate and invalid entries. Responses to symptom items were recoded as “Never,” “Sometimes (< 3 times per week)” or “Often (3 or more times per week).” Sleep duration was self-reported in hours and minutes. Regression analyses were adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, work hours, employment, and presence of a bed partner. Results A total of 3,030 individuals provided complete data. Shorter sleep duration was observed for those who report insufficient sleep Often (-60.7mins), sleep irregularity Often (-34.6mins), difficulty falling asleep Often (-57.7mins), difficulty staying asleep Sometimes and Often (-20.9mins and -94.9 mins, respectively), and difficulty with early morning awakenings Sometimes and Often (-19.1mins and -92.1mins, respectively), fatigue Often (-28.2mins), sleepiness Sometimes (-9.3mins), phase advance Sometimes and Often (-51.1mins and -31.3mins, respectively), snoring Often (-13.9 mins), dry mouth Often (-21.4mins), loud snoring Often (-14.3 mins), observed breathing pauses Often (-19.2mins), waking up choking or gasping Often (-32.6mins), uncomfortable sensations in legs at night Often (-19.6 fewer mins), urge to move legs at night Often (-21.1mins), frequent awakenings Sometimes and Often (-11.8mins and -65.7mins, respectively), cataplexy-like symptoms Often (-26.4mins), sudden awakenings Sometimes and Often (-9.0mins and -30.2mins, respectively), parasomnia-like symptoms Often (-15.3mins), sleep interfering with functioning Sometimes and Often (-23.7mins and -39.9mins, respectively). Phase delay, sleep hallucinations, sleep paralysis, nightmares, and bruxism were not associated with sleep duration. Conclusion Frequent insomnia-related symptoms are most strongly associated with shorter self-reported sleep duration, though symptoms consistent with sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, and narcolepsy are also associated. These results highlight the value of utilizing broad symptom screeners for identifying individuals at risk for clinically significant sleep loss. Support (if any) R01MD011600, R01MH135978