Weekday and weekend sleep deprivation are associated with recurrent nightmare in adolescents: a cross-sectional study

Abstract Objective Our study aimed to investigate the association between sleep deprivation and parasomnias including nightmare and sleepwalking in Chinese adolescents. Methods A total of 19229 high school students aged 10-20 in Fuzhou were invited to complete questionnaires regarding sleep duration, parasomnias including nightmare and sleepwalking, and emotional problems. Subjects with sleep deprivation (SD) defined as sleeping less than 8 hours either on weekdays or on weekends were categorized as three groups: weekday SD, weekend SD and habitual SD. Results The prevalence of recurrent nightmare was significantly higher for subjects with SD (SD vs NSD: 7.6% vs 3.7%). In all subjects, habitual SD was associated with the highest risk of recurrent nightmare (Odds ratio (OR) = 2.19, 95% Confidential interval (95% CI) = 1.73-2.75, P Conclusions Our study found a significant association between recurrent nightmare and sleep deprivation either on weekdays or on weekends in adolescents, which was stronger with more deprivation episodes. No significant association was found between sleepwalking and sleep deprivation. Association between weekend SD and recurrent nightmare disappeared among subjects aged 14-17 or among girls.