0265 Disparities in Bed and Wake Times in the US Population Associated with Typical Work Hours

Abstract Introduction Racial and ethnic minority populations are at an increased risk of having shorter sleep duration and poorer sleep quality. This nationally-representative study examines whether groups differ on their typical sleep opportunity window, and whether this depends on typical work hours. Methods Data were obtained from adults who participated in the National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), overseen by the CDC, for the 2017-2018 and 2019-2020 (March, pre-pandemic) waves. These data were combined and weighted using NHANES sample weights. Habitual sleep timing was assessed as self-reported typical bedtime and wake time, which was converted to minutes from midnight. Race/ethnicity was self-reported as non-Hispanic White, Black/African-American, Mexican-American, Other Latinx, Asian, or Multiracial/Other. Work time was categorized as None, 20 or fewer hours, 21-39 hours, 40 hours (reference), 41-59 hours, or 60 or more hours. Covariates included demographics (age, sex) and socioeconomics (education, income-poverty ratio). Results Overall, compared to Non-Hispanic Whites, Blacks/African-Americans went to bed 14 minutes later, Mexican Americans went to bed 18 minutes earlier and got out of bed 33 minutes earlier, and Asians went to bed 13 minutes later and woke up 16 minutes later. And compared to those who worked 40 hours, those who worked less than 40 hours went to bed later and woke up later, and those who worked 60+ hours went to bed later. There was a significant race/ethnicity by work hours interaction. The relationship between race/ethnicity and sleep timing differed depending on which work hours category respondents were in. Overall, Black-White differences in bedtime were seen in those who worked 41-59 hours. Mexican-White differences in bedtime were seen for non-working and 40 hours and for waketime were seen for all <=40 hours groups. Asian-White differences were seen for bedtime for 41-59 hours and for waketime in non-working, 40 hours, and 60+ hours. Multiracial-White differences were seen for bedtime in non-working 21-39 hours, and for waketime in 21-39 hours. Conclusion Even after accounting for other elements of sleep, Blacks/African-Americans, and Asians still exhibit delayed sleep. Future research is required to further explore disparities in circadian rhythm and culturally targeted interventions for sleep health. Support (if any)