Chronotype, general health and quality of sleep in a population of Spanish nurses

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between chronotype, general health status and sleep quality in a sample of Spanish nurses. Method: An observational study assessing morningness-eveningness predisposition, general health status and quality of sleep was conducted between January and April 2018. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed. A linear regression model was carried out to determine the influence of the variables on the morningness-eveningness type. Results: Morning-type was associated with aging (β = 0.249, p = 0.005), being married (β = 3.970, p = 0.033), and with a self-assessed low daily sleepiness (β = -0.311, p = 0.152). Good quality of sleep was moderately correlated with high values of general health (r = 0.337) and perceived quality of life (r = 0.426). Conclusion: Anomalies of the circadian rhythm together with the features of shift workers may play an important role in predicting self-assessed general health status or the quality of sleep in nurses.