Sleep Regularity Index in Patients with Alcohol Dependence: Daytime Napping and Mood Disorders as Correlates of Interest

Abstract

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is often accompanied by comorbid conditions, including sleep disturbances related to sleep regularity and timing. The Sleep Regularity Index (SRI) is a novel measure that assesses the probability that an individual is awake (vs. asleep) at any two time points 24 h apart. We calculated actigraphy-based SRI on 124 participants with alcohol dependence to capture the effects of changes in sleep timing and duration among patients enrolled in an inpatient alcohol treatment program. During the course of the study, the mean SRI increased between weeks 1 and 3 (75.4 to 77.8), thus indicating slightly improved sleep quality and regularity during alcohol treatment. Individuals within the bottom quartile of SRI scores at week 1 improved significantly over time. Average total SRI for individuals with no mood disorders was slightly higher than that for individuals with one or more mood disorders. Increased SRI scores were associated with lower total nap duration from week 1 to week 3. Increased SRI scores were associated with decreased mental/physical exhaustion scores from week 1 to week 3. The SRI could be a target for assessment/intervention in certain sub-groups of individuals undergoing inpatient treatment for AUD.

Is Alcohol Consumption Related to Lifestyle Factors in Romanian University Students?

“…Alcohol is known to alter sleep and regularity. Alcohol intoxication may lead to a shorter sleep onset latency but poorer sleep quality in the latter part of the sleep, resulting in shorter sleep duration and sleep disruption; in addition, irregularity in sleep-wake schedules are associated with a higher risk of alcohol use [ 46 , 47 ]. The present study shows that alcohol consumption among students is indirectly associated with proper sleep.…”

Irregular Sleep/Wake Patterns Are Associated With Reduced Quality of Life in Post-treatment Cancer Patients: A Study Across Three Cancer Cohorts

“…Recent studies have found lower SRI to be associated with depression ( Pye et al, 2021 ), insomnia, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) ( Mascaro et al, 2021 ), poorer mood ( Sano et al, 2015 ), cardiometabolic dysfunction ( Lunsford-Avery et al, 2018 ; Fritz et al, 2020 ), and poorer functional outcomes in autism ( Cohen et al, 2017 ) and delayed sleep-wake phase disorder ( Murray et al, 2019 ). The SRI has also been found to improve with treatment for alcohol dependence ( Brooks et al, 2020 ). Our findings show that SRI is also a strong predictor for measures of QoL in cancer populations, including both functional and symptom scores.…”

Circadian Functioning and Quality of Life in Substance Use Disorder Patients With and Without Comorbid Major Depressive Disorder

“…Although the physiological and biological mechanisms common to depression and circadian rhythms are unclear (41), approximately 50-90% of MDD patients reported complaints about impairment of sleep quality (42). Recently, a study found that the average sleep regulatory index (measure that assesses the probability that an individual is awake) in persons without bipolar/depression disorder is higher than in those with such disorders (43). It has been suggested that MDD patients can recover from their depression by successfully handling their insomnia (44).…”