Multidimensional sleep health is associated with mental well-being in Australian adults

The few studies assessing the relationship between mental health and a multidimensional measure of sleep have been conducted in samples of almost exclusively women. In the present study, we therefore assessed associations of multidimensional sleep health with mental well-being in Australian adults. A cross-sectional, national online survey of sleep health was conducted in 2019 in 2,044 community dwelling adults aged 18-90 years. Composite scores of self-reported healthy sleep were based on Ru-SATED (R-SATED) dimensions of satisfaction, alertness, timing, efficiency and duration scored 0 (never/rarely), 1 (sometimes) or 2 (usually/always), and regularity (social jet lag) was scored 0 (≥1 hr) or 1 (<1 hr). Mental well-being was identified by a report of no problem on the EuroQol (European quality of life) five dimension five level scale (EQ-5D-5L) anxiety/depression scale, as well as absence of six chronic depressive symptoms. Ordinal logistic regression analyses determined associations of mental well-being with sleep dimensions, and total R-SATED (range 0-11) and SATED scores (0-10), adjusted for sociodemographic and health factors. In males and females, healthy categories of SATED dimensions (but not regularity) were associated with mental well-being. A 1 unit increase in the total SATED score (mean [SD] 6.6 [2.1]) was associated with less problems on the EQ-5D-5L (odds ratio [OR] 1.11, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.08-1.14) and fewer chronic depressive symptoms (OR 1.20, 95% CI 1.17-1.23). These estimates did not differ when the total R-SATED score was considered. Sleep health promotion focussing solely on traditional messaging around healthy sleep duration may limit mental health gains. Rather, a more holistic approach to public health messaging to improve sleep health literacy may be beneficial for mental well-being.