Insomnia-A Systematic Review and Comparison of Medical Resident's Average Off-Call Sleep Times

Sleep deprivation is known to have serious consequences, including a decrease in performance, attention and neurocognitive function. It seems common knowledge that medical residents are routinely sleep deprived, yet there is little objective research recording their average sleep times. To discern whether residents may be suffering from the abovementioned side effects, this review aimed to analyze their average sleep times. Thirty papers recording the average sleep time of medical residents were found via a literature search using the key words "resident" and "sleep". An analysis of the mean sleep times cited therein revealed a range of sleep from 4.2 to 8.6 h per night, the median being 6.2 h. A sub-analysis of papers from the USA showed barely any significant differences in sleep time between the specialties, but the mean sleep times were below 7 h. The only significant difference (p = 0.039) was between the mean sleep times of pediatric and urology residents, with the former achieving less sleep. The comparison of methods for data collection showed no significant difference in the sleep times collected. The results of this analysis imply that residents are regularly sleep deprived and may therefore suffer from the abovementioned consequences.

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Insomnia and Sleep-aid Use in Emergency Physicians in Japan: Secondary Analysis of a Nationwide Survey

INTRODUCTION

Emergency physicians (EP) are suspected to have a high prevalence of insomnia and sleep-aid use. Most prior studies about sleep-aid use in EPs have been limited by low response rates. In this study our aim was to investigate the prevalence of insomnia and sleep-aid use among early-career Japanese EPs and assess the factors associated with insomnia and sleep-aid use.

METHODS

We collected anonymous, voluntary, survey-based data regarding chronic insomnia and sleep-aid use from board-eligible EPs taking the initial Japanese Association of Acute Medicine board certification exam in 2019 and 2020. We describe the prevalence of insomnia and sleep-aid use and analyzed demographic and job-related factors using multivariable logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

The response rate was 89.71% (732 of 816). The prevalence of chronic insomnia and sleep-aid use was 24.89% (95% CI 21.78-28.29%) and 23.77% (95% CI 20.69-27.15%), respectively. Factors associated with chronic insomnia were long working hours (odds ratio [OR] 1.02, 1.01-1.03, per one-hour/week), and "stress factor" (OR 1.46, 1.13-1.90). Factors associated with sleep-aid use were male gender (OR 1.71, 1.03-2.86), unmarried status (OR 2.38, 1.39-4.10), and "stress factor" (OR 1.48, 1.13-1.94). The "stress factor" was mostly influenced by stressors in dealing with patients/families and co-workers, concern about medical malpractice, and fatigue.

CONCLUSIONS

Early-career EPs in Japan have a high prevalence of chronic insomnia and sleep-aid use. Long working hours and stress were associated with chronic insomnia, while male gender, unmarried status, and stress were associated with the use of sleep aids.