Determinants of Sleep Quality among Working Population from North India:A Pilot Study

Recent information on sleep and its quality in working population are not available in India. The aim of this study was to determine stress, physical activity, and obesity as independent risk factors for poor sleep quality among healthy, white collar, full time workers from North India reporting subjective sleep complaints. The sample comprised of employees at local government and private companies who had annual health checkups. The study incorporated a retrospective descriptive design using a convenience sample of 134 subjects from tertiary care hospital of Delhi. All data were obtained through self-administrated questionnaires and annual health checkups. Apparently healthy sample of 49 women and 85 men, with a mean age of 37±12 years, who were free from any significant medical disorder resulting in sleep disturbance, reporting subjective sleep complaints were recruited. Sleep quality was measured using Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index [PSQI]. In a given population, the mean global PSQI score was 8 (standard deviation=5.0), with 76% of the sample classified as poor sleepers. Age (P=0.001), marital status (P=0.003), body mass index (P=0.012) and stress (P=0.001) were found to be associated with poorer sleep quality. Logistic regression revealed that middle age (odds ratio [OR]=1.07) and higher stress level (OR=1.08) were independent determinants of poor sleep quality. A significant percentage of working population reported poor quality of sleep. This study suggested that mid-life and high level of stress are strongly linked to poor quality of sleep. Given the close relationships between sleep quality and physical and mental health, intervention programs for poor sleep quality in this population should be considered.