Investigating the significance of three simple questions for identification of sleep problems

Objectives. Thoroughly listening to complaints is important to properly diagnose sleep disorders. If sleep disorders can be identified using a few simple questions, more people can have earlier and approximate treatments. Methods. The participants were Japanese workers who answered a medical questionnaire which included questions on lifestyle and work style, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index Japanese version (PSQI-J), in a periodic health checkup. The PSQI-J global score (PSQIG) was used to categorize participants into two groups. Lifestyles, including sleep conditions and work styles, between the groups were compared using the chi-square test. Logistic regression was used to calculate the odds ratios (ORs), adjusted for gender, age range, and work style, to measure associations between each sleep condition and the PSQIG group. Results. The subjects were 839 (men 714, women 125). In the “healthy sleep group (PSQIG ≤5)”, the numbers with a consistent sleep routine, good sleep quality, and an average of ≥6 hours of sleep were significantly higher. Women in the “healthy sleep group” were significantly more likely to be daytime-workers (p<0.01). subjects in the “healthy sleep group” were more likely to have a consistent sleep routine (OR 1.61, 95% confidence interval 1.10–2.35), good sleep quality (5.53, 3.49–9.00), and an average of ≥6 hours sleep (3.04, 2.07–4.52). Conclusions. Three simple questions addressing sleep regularity, subjective sleep quality, and sleep duration were all associated with the PSQIG in this study. Asking a few questions about sleep might be useful to grasp the workers’ sleep conditions and to prevent them from developing sleep disorders.