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

Purpose: 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. Methods: 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. Results: 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. Conclusion: 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.