Sleep and quality of well-being

Background: It is commonly believed that sleep duration in the population has been declining gradually. Whereas sleep restriction in the laboratory induces sleepiness and mood disturbances, it is not certain whether a short sleep duration impairs the quality of everyday life. Methods: Using population-based data, we explored whether greater habitual sleep duration is a predictor of better health-related quality of life, measured by the Quality of Well-Being (QWB) scale. The relationships between QWB and several potential correlates were examined in a stepwise linear regression analysis. Results: Neither subjective nor actigraphic sleep duration were associated with QWB. Greater quality of well-being was associated with greater sleep satisfaction, younger age, less obesity, non-Hispanic White ethnicity, and greater experienced illumination. Conclusion: These data suggest that increasing sleep duration may not directly improve quality of life, despite evidence that curtailment of nocturnal sleep is associated with fatigue.