Identifying Diverse Forms of (Un)healthy Sleep: Sleep Profiles Differentiate Adults' Psychological and Physical Well-being

Rationale

Sleep health is best described by the co-occurrence of various dimensions (e.g., regularity, daytime alertness, satisfaction, efficiency, duration) but is rarely measured this way. Information is needed regarding common within-person patterns of sleep characteristics among adults and their relative healthiness.

Objective

To deepen understanding of healthy and unhealthy sleep, the present study aimed to uncover multidimensional sleep profiles in adults and their associations with a variety of psychological and physical well-being outcomes.

Methods

Survey data from 4622 adults who participated in the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) project was used to identify latent sleep profiles across five core sleep dimensions. Adjusting for individual sleep dimensions and sociodemographic covariates, General Linear Models were used to test the associations of sleep profile membership with hedonic and eudemonic well-being and chronic physical conditions.

Results

Four latent sleep profiles were revealed, good sleepers, sufficient but irregular sleepers, nappers, and short, dissatisfied, and inefficient sleepers. The profiles differentially related to well-being outcomes above and beyond individual sleep dimensions and sociodemographic covariates. Good sleepers generally reported the best outcomes, and short, dissatisfied, and inefficient sleepers generally reported the worst outcomes.

Conclusion

Four common sleep profiles describe adults' holistic sleep experiences and predict a variety of well-being outcomes beyond other known predictors. In adulthood, healthy sleep may involve sufficient sleep across all dimensions whereas unhealthy sleep may involve insufficient sleep across three key dimensions: duration, satisfaction, and efficiency.