Sleep characteristics and excessive daytime sleepiness in adolescents and adults: results from the birth cohorts of three Brazilian cities - RPS Consortium.

Objective: To describe the prevalence of insufficient sleep duration, long sleep latency, terminal or maintenance insomnia, subjective sleep quality, and excessive daytime sleepiness among participants of birth cohorts conducted in three Brazilian cities, and to evaluate differences in prevalence rates within cohorts according to sociodemographic characteristics.

Methods: Cross-sectional analyses involving adolescents and adults participating in four birth cohorts conducted in Ribeirão Preto (RP78 and RP94), Pelotas (PEL93) and São Luís (SL97/98). Sleep duration, latency, terminal or maintenance insomnia, and subjective sleep quality were obtained through the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index; and excessive daytime sleepiness was assessed using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. Differences in the prevalence of the outcomes were analyzed in each cohort according to sociodemographic characteristics (skin color, marital status, socioeconomic status, study and working at the time of the interview) stratified by sex.

Results: Insufficient sleep duration was the most common outcome at the four cohorts, with higher frequency among men. Long latency was more frequently reported by young adult women in RP94 and PEL93 cohorts, and insomnia by women of the four cohorts, when compared to men of the same age. Women generally suffered more from excessive daytime sleepiness and evaluated the quality of their sleep more negatively than men. In addition to sex, being a student and working were associated with the largest number of outcomes in both sexes.

Conclusion: Sleep disorders are more prevalent in women, reinforcing the need for greater investment in sleep health in Brazil, without disregarding gender and socioeconomic determinants.