Psychosocial wellbeing and short sleep duration among U.S. adults

Short sleep duration (SSD), defined as less than 7 h of sleep per day, can lead to various health problems. This study aims to assess whether psychosocial wellbeing is associated with short sleep duration in a nationally representative sample of adults in the United States.

Data (N = 272,472) were from the 2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey. We estimated multivariable -binomial and -multinomial logistic regressions to examine the differential odds of SSD among individuals across three instruments of psychosocial wellbeing- life satisfaction, feeling of social isolation, and receipt of needed emotional support.

Prevalence of SSD in the study population was 35.5%. Compared to adults who were very satisfied with their lives, those who were dissatisfied were 1.63 (95% CI: 1.48-1.79) times more likely to have SSD. Adults who rarely/never received emotional support were 1.60 (95% CI: 1.48-1.73) times more likely to have SSD compared to those who always received support. The odds of having SSD were 1.38 (95% CI: 1.28-1.48) times higher among adults who usually/always felt socially isolated than that of adults who never felt isolated. These results were robust across sub-groups of generations and income.

These results showed a strong link between sleep deprivation and psychosocial wellbeing, after accounting for various demographic, socioeconomic, and health related attributes. Future research, therefore, may explore the role of psychosocial wellbeing as a potential avenue for improving sleep health at the population level.