Volume 27, Issue 137, July 2023

Sleep patterns and problems among adults in Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional survey-based study

Sarah Al Muammar^1♦, Areej Algarni², Raneem Abu Sadi², Hanan Mushaeb², Ftoon Badroun², Abeer Algarni²

¹Family Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
²College of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

^♦Corresponding author
Family Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

ABSTRACT

Background: Sleep quality is crucial for maintaining physical and mental health, but cultural, social, and economic factors can affect it. Research on sleep quality in Saudi Arabia has yielded mixed results and focused on specific populations. Methods: This cross-sectional survey-based study aimed to investigate sleep patterns and problems among adults in Saudi Arabia, recruiting 2,262 participants online. Results: Most participants were young adults aged 18-29 years (56.4%), with 37.5% reporting sleep problems. Participants' sleep patterns differed significantly between workdays and rest days. On workdays, 57.2% of participants went to bed between 10 PM and midnight, whereas on rest days, 53% went to bed after 1 AM. The average sleep duration was 7.1 hours on workdays and 8.9 hours on rest days. Rotating shift workers were 1.5 times more likely to experience sleep problems than those working traditional hours (P = 0.03). Participants with a monthly income exceeding 14,000 SAR demonstrated a 0.7 times lower likelihood of experiencing sleep problems compared to those with an income below 4,000 SAR (P = 0.01). Conclusion: This study provides insights into the prevalence and factors associated with sleep problems in the Saudi Arabian population. The results suggest a high prevalence of sleep problems and a low use of professional help or medication to manage them. The findings of this study emphasize the influence of socioeconomic status and work schedules on sleep patterns. Specifically, rotating shift work and lower income levels were found to be correlated with a higher prevalence of sleep problems.

Keywords: Sleep patterns, sleep problems, adults, Saudi Arabia, sleep duration, naps, cross-sectional survey

Medical Science, 2023, 27, e308ms3122

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi/v27i137/e308ms3122

Published: 24 July 2023