Reasons for why Medical Students Prefer Specific Sleep Management Strategies.

OBJECTIVES: Insomnia symptoms are common among medical students. This study explored the perspectives of medical students about which sleep management strategies to use. METHODS: Medical students responded to an online survey on their thoughts about the use of various sleep management strategies. RESULTS: Of the 828 respondents, 568 (69%) provided responses to questions about the most preferred strategies and 450 (54%) provided responses about their least preferred strategies. About 48.5% felt their insomnia symptoms were too mild to see a clinician and 23.9% did not think their symptoms warranted sleep medication. Over 40% of students could not avoid work before sleep, have consistent sleep/wake times, or engage in regular exercise because of their busy and inconsistent schedules. Approximately 40-60% could not improve their sleep environment (e.g. better heating and bed) because of the associated costs. Over 80% reported an inability to change their pre-sleep habits (e.g. using electronics close to bedtime, using bed for activities other than sleep or sex). Half of the students disliked relaxation techniques or felt they would not help. Around 30-50% did not believe that changing caffeine and/or alcohol intake would affect their sleep. CONCLUSIONS: Medical students may benefit from additional sleep education. Clinicians may need to discuss which strategies individual students prefer and modify their recommendations accordingly.

Sleep Management Strategies Among Medical Students At the University of Otago.

OBJECTIVES: We aim to investigate factors which might affect the sleep of medical students, and how they currently manage their sleep. METHODS: An online survey was sent to medical students at the University of Otago. RESULTS: After adjusting for gender, ethnicity and age, depressive symptoms (Mild: odds ratio (OR) = 6.3; Moderate: OR = 18.1; Severe: OR = 15.6), and sleep hygiene (OR = 1.07) were associated with insomnia symptoms. Commonly endorsed strategies for sleep management by students were undertaking regular exercise (80.1%), having consistent sleep-wake time (71.3%), and limiting caffeine intake (70.3%). Few were willing to see a clinician (23.4%) or take medication (22.3%). Participants with insomnia symptoms were more likely to prefer limiting their alcohol intake (OR = 1.8), limiting daytime naps (OR = 1.5), seeing clinicians (OR = 1.9), and taking sleep medication (OR = 4.0), but less likely to prefer avoiding intense work (OR = .71) or minimizing using electronics (OR = .60) close to bedtime than those without insomnia symptoms. High sleep self-efficacy was associated with lower odds for having insomnia symptoms (OR = .74 (.70, .77)). CONCLUSIONS: Increased awareness and greater resources are needed to support the sleep health of medical students.

Preference for sleep management strategies among prostate cancer patients: An Aotearoa/New Zealand perspective✰.

INTRODUCTION: Many men with prostate cancer (PCa) experience insomnia symptoms post-treatment. We explore here PCa patients' preference for strategies to manage their sleep. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A brief online survey was launched on Facebook and promoted by Prostate Cancer Foundation New Zealand. The survey contained validated questionnaires on various sleep-related parameters, as well as questions about sleep management strategies. RESULTS: We recruited 82 PCa patients (67.9 ± 6.3 years old). Participants with high insomnia severity index (ISI) scores reported significantly worse daytime sleepiness, more severe fatigue, being less of a "morning person", and more frequent dreaming. Most participants (71-95%) were open to trying behavioural strategies for improving sleep hygiene, especially by improving their sleeping conditions and having a consistent sleep-wake schedule. Insomnia severity and past use of androgen deprivation therapy were significant predictors for the number of sleep treatments used. Participants with a high ISI were more likely to have used medication, CBT, and herbal remedies or supplements for treating sleep issues than those with low ISI. Furthermore, in patients who had not used these treatments options, those with a high ISI were more willing to try CBT and hypnosis compared to those with a low ISI. Reasons for not willing to try various sleep treatments were documented. CONCLUSION: Most PCa patients are willing to adjust their behavior or lifestyle to improve their sleep habits/behaviours. Patients with severe insomnia are more likely to have both used and express willingness to try, interventions to improve sleep, with preferences for CBT and hypnosis.