Correlates for poor sleepers in a Los Angeles high school

Background and purposeWe explored sleep patterns including morning–evening preference and their associations with other lifestyle determinants among high school students.Particpants and methodsWe conducted a cross-sectional survey of students grades 9–12 from a private high school in the United States. One hundred and thirty-one students completed an online survey comprising 23 original, investigator-created questions, a mood scale, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the Horne–Ostberg Morningness–Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ).ResultsWe found that 80% of students reported a sleep deficit. As defined by the PSQI, 69% of girls and 58% of boys in this sample were poor sleepers. Eveningness was a strong predictor of poor sleep, particularly among students aged ⩽15 years (odds ratio [OR] 9.92; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.52–64.8), among whom poor sleep quality was also associated with a higher body mass index (BMI) (OR, 6.97; 95% CI, 1.01–48.2).ConclusionsOur pilot study suggests that morningness–eveningness is a strong predictor of sleep quality among high school students.