Poor sleep in concurrent users of alcohol, khat, and tobacco smoking in community-dwelling Ethiopian adults

Abstract

BACKGROUND:Polysubstance dependence, stress, and sleep disturbances are inter-related by shared physiological pathways. No study has investigated the relationship between sleep and concurrent use of alcohol and khat.OBJECTIVES:The aim of the study was to assess the effect of the concurrent use of alcohol and khat as well as concurrent alcohol, khat, and tobacco smoking on sleep patterns.METHODS:A sample of community-dwelling adults (n = 339, age = 25.5 ± 5.7 years, body mass index = 22.0 ± 2.2 kg/m2) from Mizan-Aman, Ethiopia, participated in a cross-sectional study. Semi-structured tool for sociodemographics, substance use habit, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were used. The difference in sleep patterns among substance use groups, i.e., nonusers, alcohol use only, concurrent alcohol and khat use, and concurrent alcohol, khat and tobacco smoking was assessed.RESULTS:The poorest sleep quality was found among concurrent users of alcohol, khat, and tobacco smoking (PSQI global score = 8.2 ± 2.4), followed by concurrent users of alcohol and khat (PSQI global score = 7.3 ± 2.9) (F (3.335) = 23.64, P < 0.001). There were significant differences in the PSQI component score of sleep quality χ2(3) =159.09, P < 0.001, the PSQI component score of sleep latency χ2(3) = 128.09, P < 0.001, and the PSQI component score of sleep disturbances χ2(3) = 37.69, P < 0.001 between substance use groups.CONCLUSION:Concurrent use of alcohol, khat as well as alcohol, khat, and tobacco smoking was associated with poor sleep. Sleep disturbances in this group need management to avoid the prospective development of psychosocial disturbances in polysubstance users.

Poor sleep quality and associated factors among healthcare professionals at the University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia

“…As for the present study’s result, current khat chewers have demonstrated three times higher odds of poor sleep quality than non-khat chewers. This finding aligns with studies performed in Yemen and Ethiopia ( 25 , 26 , 62 , 64 ). This could be due to the effect of khat.…”

Obstructive sleep apnea screening in young people: Psychometric validation of a shortened version of the STOP-BANG questionnaire using categorical data methods

“…Although Ethiopian health care is burdened with infection-borne diseases, recent research shows an alarming increase in sleep-related disorders as well. [ 43 44 45 ] Therefore, this study's finding of adequate psychometric validation for a readily accessible and easily administrable tool to screen apnea in this population of young people from Ethiopia may be very helpful.…”

The Interactions between Smoking and Sleep

“…Yet another aspect in the relationship between smoking and poor sleep quality is their common effect on other unhealthy habits. In fact, many studies have shown this effect in bad nutrition, caffeine intake, alcohol consumption, illicit drug usage and lack of physical activity [55][56][57][58][59][60][61].…”