ORIGINAL: Sleep Health amongst Patients Attending Adult Neurology Clinic in Abakaliki, Nigeria

West Afr J Med. November 2023; 40 (11): 1192-1198 PMID: 1192-1198

Abstract

Background: Sleep health indicates how well an individual or population sleeps. Good sleep health is characterized by subjective satisfaction, sustained alertness during waking hours, appropriate timing, high efficiency, and adequate duration. Poor sleep health is associated with many short-term and long-term health consequences. There are limited data on the pattern of sleep health in Nigeria. Against this backdrop, we embarked on this study to determine the Pattern of Sleep Health among patients attending the Adult Neurology clinic in a Federal Teaching Hospital, in Abakaliki, Nigeria.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional observational hospital-based study undertaken at the Adult Neurology clinic of the Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital Abakaliki, Nigeria from July to September 2022.

Results: Out of the 267 patients recruited for the study, 19% had good sleep health with SATED scores of 8 to 10 while 81% had poor sleep health. The absence of alcohol abuse, cigarette smoking, and neurological diagnosis were statistically associated with poor sleep health with no sex and age predilection. The mean sleep duration was 7.5± 1.5 hours (male = 7.6 hours, female = 7.3 hours, 18- 64 years= 7.4 hours, ≥ 65 years =7.9 hours). Timing of sleep (mean= 0.97) was the least rated while sleep satisfaction (mean= 1.54) was the best-rated sleep dimension.

Conclusion: Sleep health is very poor amongst patients attending the adult Neurology clinic at Abakaliki Nigeria and it is associated with smoking, absence of alcohol abuse, and neurological diagnosis.