Relationships Between Self-Reported Sleep Quality, Quantity and Timing on Workdays vs Work-Free Days and Lifestyle...

Sufficient quantity and quality of sleep are crucial for physical and mental health and performance. The ideal duration and time of sleep varies from person to person, with the latter depending on chronotype. However, rather than accommodating these needs, everyday life is often structured around rigid societal times that can result in sleep deficits and poor sleep quality. This survey study in healthy adults investigated the relationships between sleep duration, quality, and timing and how they relate to chronotype, lifestyle, perceived workload and anxiety/depression symptoms.

Participants (N =315) were recruited from a large German metropolitan region. Sleep quality and quantity were evaluated separately on workdays and work-free days using assessments of tiredness upon waking and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Sleep time, duration, chronotype, sleep loss, and social jetlag were assessed using the Munich ChronoType Questionnaire (MCTQ). Lifestyle variables assessed in this study included exercise and substance use. Self-reported sleep quality, timing and duration were compared between work and work-free days. The relationships between variables were explored using correlation and correlation-based network analyses.

Our data suggest that workday sleep duration is a significant determinant of self-reported sleep quality, which in turn is negatively correlated with daytime dysfunction, anxiety/depression, and perception of workload. Moreover, physical activity and not smoking were significantly associated with self-reported sleep quality as well as with depression and anxiety symptoms.

In addition to a healthy lifestyle, strategies to advance bedtime and/or adapt working hours to chronotype may improve sleep quality and thus mental health.