Association between maladaptive sleep hygiene behaviors and sleep quality in the general population

Abstract

Prevalence of sleep problems has grown globally in recent years and sleep hygiene recommendations have shown inconsistent results. This study aims to analyze the quality of sleep in a non-clinical population and its association with maladaptive sleep hygiene. A total of 465 participants, with median age of 35 years (Interquartile range-IQR = 28-44), completed the Sleep Hygiene Practices Scale (SHPS) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Sample was divided into good quality sleepers (GQS; 52.7%, n = 245) and poor quality sleepers (PQS; 47.3%, n = 220). Comparison tests showed PQS had significant higher scores on SHPS (M = 61; IQR = 55-68, p < .01) compared with GQS (M = 68; IQR = 62-74). A logistic regression model indicated that only cognitive-arousal behaviors and inconsistent bedtimes were significant to classify poor sleep (R 2 = .35; p < .01). In conclusion, poor sleep quality is common among healthy individuals and strongly associated with pre-sleep cognitive activity. This suggests that interventions aiming to improve sleep quality should consider strategies that would retract attention from concerns and worries at bedtime.

Fear of COVID-19 and sleep problems in Turkish young adults: Mediating roles of happiness and problematic social networking sites use

“…Social media use has previously been identified as a risk factor for sleep disorders (Bhat et al, 2018). Previous research has also demonstrated that the quality of sleep is highly connected with the cognitive activity that occurs before bedtime (Sancho-Domingo et al, 2020). Furthermore, it has been suggested that using social media closer to bedtime is associated with increased cognitive arousal, resulting in delayed sleep latency and difficulty maintaining sleep (Thomée et al, 2010).…”