Impaired psychomotor vigilance associated with sleep-disordered breathing in women working in the care of older adults in Japan.

PURPOSE: With a rapidly aging society, there is increasing interest in the health of female workers in the field of care services for older adults due to increasing demands to maintain 24-h care and to support older adults without errors or accidents. Therefore, the purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine the association between sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and sustained attention in women caring for older adults in Japan. METHODS: The study was conducted in women aged 18-67 years old working in care service facilities for older adults in Japan. The sustained attention of participants was measured by the 10-min psychomotor vigilance task (PVT). SDB was assessed based on the respiratory disturbance index (RDI), which was measured using an ambulatory airflow monitor with a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) film sensor to monitor the respiratory airflow of nasal and oral breathing. The participants wore the monitor to record the breathing status while asleep at home. The severity of SDB was categorized as follows: normal, RDI < 5 events/h; mild SDB, RDI 5-10 events/h; and moderate-to-severe SDB, RDI ≥ 10 events/h. RESULTS: Of 688 women enrolled, medians of age, body mass index (BMI), sleep duration, and prevalence of hypertension tended to be higher with increasing RDI. No significant association was found between RDI and PVT parameters. However, when we limited the analysis to women with BMI ≥ 22 kg/m2, those with moderate-to-severe SDB had significantly higher odds of having the slowest 10% reaction times compared to those without SDB (OR = 2.03; 95% CI = 1.17-3.53). The association did not decrease after adjusting to account for sleep duration, alcohol drinking habits, and history of hypertension (OR = 1.97; 95% CI = 1.10-3.52). A significant increasing trend was also found between RDI and the slowest 10% of reaction times (p for trend = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that SDB is associated with reduced sustained attention in participants with BMI ≥ 22 kg/m2, although the number of assessments of SDB and PVT was only once per participant due to the nature of the cross-sectional study.

Work-family conflict and insomnia symptoms among women working in aged care services in Japan.

OBJECTIVE: The association between work-family conflict and insomnia has not been thoroughly studied. Therefore, we sought to examine the relationship between work-family conflict and insomnia symptoms among Japanese working women. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, 608 women aged 18-60 years old who worked in aged care services between 2015 and 2016 were selected, and 445 of these women were ultimately included. Insomnia symptoms were measured using the Athens Insomnia Scale. Work-to-family conflict (WFC) and family-to-work conflict (FWC) were assessed through a self-administered questionnaire and were divided into four categories: low work-family conflict (low WFC and FWC), high FWC, high WFC, and high work-family conflict (high WFC and FWC). The prevalence ratio (PR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of insomnia symptoms were calculated using a Poisson regression model after multivariable adjustment. RESULTS: The multivariable-adjusted PR (95% CI) of insomnia symptoms was 1.99 (1.34-2.93) in the high work-family conflict group compared to the low work-family conflict group. CONCLUSIONS: The results from the present study suggest that insomnia symptoms are highly prevalent among working women in aged care services with high work-family conflict.

Prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing among women working in the aged care services in Japan.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) in women working in the field of aged care in Japan. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted for female employees aged 18-60 years in aged care facilities in Japan. The analyzed set consisted of 712 participants with complete data. SDB was determined by respiratory disturbance index (RDI), measured using an ambulatory airflow monitor with a polyvinylidene fluoride film sensor to detect nasal and oral airflow overnight at home. Based on the findings of previous studies, RDI 10 was considered equivalent to apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) 15. RESULTS: The prevalence of moderate-to-severe SDB (RDI ≥ 10) was 22.8%. The mean age was 38.1 years, and mean sleeping time of participants was 6.1 h. The median body mass index (BMI) was 22.0. Women with moderate-to-severe SDB (RDI ≥ 10) had a higher age, neck circumference, neck-height ratio, BMI, systolic blood pressure, and increased prevalence of hypertension, short sleepers (amount of sleep on the SDB testing day < 6 h), and habitual snorers, compared to women with no or mild SDB (RDI < 10). CONCLUSIONS: Our study found that women working in the aged care services in Japan were heavily burdened by SDB even though they were relatively young and slim. To prevent CVD from developing in the future, programs through which workplaces can help their employees improve their lifestyle, and early diagnosis and treatment of SDB are highly recommended.