Sleep disturbances among women in a Subarctic region: a nationwide study

Abstract

Study objectives To date, few studies have assessed sleep problems among women residing in Subarctic regions. Therefore, the aim of this large-scale population-based study was to assess the prevalence of severe sleep problems and associated factors among Icelandic women, living at 63-66°N. Methods Participants were 29,681 women (18-69 years old) who took part in the Icelandic Stress-And-Gene-Analysis study in 2018–2019. Background information, health-related behaviour, and mental health symptoms were assessed with an online questionnaire. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to assess severe sleep problems during the past month. Adjusting for age, marital status, number of children, education, personal income, work schedule, region, and response period, we used modified Poisson log-linear models to obtain prevalence ratios (PRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results Overall, 24.2% of women reported severe sleep problems (PSQI>10). Women responding in the winter presented with overall higher prevalence of severe sleep problems, compared to those responding in the summer (PR 1.21; 95% CI, 1.15-1.28). Severe sleep problems were more prevalent among young and late-midlife women, those who were single, had children, socio-economic challenges, worked shifts and flexible hours. Furthermore, obesity, suboptimal health behaviours, excessive screen time, and mental health problems were associated with severe sleep problems. Conclusion Severe sleep problems are more common among women in Subarctic regions than elsewhere, particularly during winter. These findings motivate development of preventive strategies and interventions for women in the Subarctic who suffer from sleep problems.

Blue Light and Temperature Actigraphy Measures Predicting Metabolic Health Are Linked to Melatonin Receptor Polymorphism

“…The Arctic light environment is challenging to the circadian system, health and wellbeing [11][12][13][14][15][16]. Previous studies also suggested that disruption of the circadian system has an adverse impact on metabolic health [17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26].…”