Shah Jainy, Sethi Sneha, Poirier Brianna F, Hedges Joanne, Jamieson Lisa
Australian Research Center for Population Oral Health, Adelaide Dental School, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
Aust J Rural Health. 2025 Feb;33(1):e13210. doi: 10.1111/ajr.13210.
Irregularities with sleep patterns and behaviours are commonly observed in Australia, but there is lack of information regarding sleep patterns among Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander adults. This study explores sleep patterns in Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander adults, comparing it with non-Indigenous Australian adults in addition to investigating any potential effects on daytime behaviour.
A total of 730 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples aged 18 years and above were included in the study. The participants completed a self-reported questionnaire on various aspects of sleep, such as difficulty falling asleep, waking up during the night, feeling well-rested upon waking, snoring loudly, gasping/choking during sleep, use of prescription medication and experiencing fatigue or sleepiness during the day. Additionally, the participants were interviewed using the 'Top End Sleepiness Scale' to report increased sleepiness during daily activities. The responses were compared with those of non-Indigenous Australians in the 2016 Sleep Health Foundation national survey, using questions that measures similar variables.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples experienced higher rates of sleep disturbances, including difficulty in falling asleep and waking in the night. Snoring and breathing pauses during sleep were more common in middle-aged men, and sleeping difficulties and daytime symptoms related to insufficient or unrefreshing sleep were more common in women. Sleep issues increased with age among adult Australians but were more common in the age group of 25-34 years for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
The data suggest that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults report irregularities in sleep patterns. Early interventions and management of sleep habits could potentially have benefits for overall physical and mental health.
睡眠模式和行为异常在澳大利亚很常见，但关于澳大利亚原住民或托雷斯海峡岛民成年人的睡眠模式缺乏相关信息。本研究探讨澳大利亚原住民或托雷斯海峡岛民成年人的睡眠模式，将其与非原住民澳大利亚成年人进行比较，并调查其对白天行为的任何潜在影响。
共有730名18岁及以上的澳大利亚原住民和托雷斯海峡岛民参与了该研究。参与者完成了一份关于睡眠各个方面的自我报告问卷，如入睡困难、夜间醒来、醒来时感觉休息良好、大声打鼾、睡眠时喘气/窒息、使用处方药以及白天感到疲劳或困倦。此外，使用“顶端嗜睡量表”对参与者进行访谈，以报告日常活动中嗜睡程度增加的情况。使用测量类似变量的问题，将这些回答与2016年睡眠健康基金会全国调查中的非原住民澳大利亚人的回答进行比较。
澳大利亚原住民和托雷斯海峡岛民经历睡眠障碍的比例更高，包括入睡困难和夜间醒来。中年男性睡眠时打鼾和呼吸暂停更为常见，而睡眠困难和与睡眠不足或未恢复精力相关的白天症状在女性中更为常见。澳大利亚成年人中，睡眠问题随年龄增长而增加，但在25 - 34岁年龄组中，澳大利亚原住民和托雷斯海峡岛民更为常见。
数据表明，澳大利亚原住民和托雷斯海峡岛民成年人报告存在睡眠模式异常。早期干预和睡眠习惯管理可能对整体身心健康有益。
