The Relationship between Insomnia and Lifestyle-Related Diseases among Japanese Male Truck Drivers

The Relationship between Insomnia and Lifestyle-Related Diseases among Japanese Male Truck Drivers

Tomoka Ando,¹ Takashi Miyachi,¹ Yuta Sugano,¹ Makoto Kamatsuka,¹ Kazuo Mishima² and Kyoko Nomura³

¹School of Medicine, Akita University, Akita, Akita, Japan
²Department of Neuropsychiatry, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, Akita, Akita, Japan
³Department of Environmental Health Science and Public Health, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, Akita, Akita, Japan

Previously, insomnia and adverse lifestyle were prevalent among truck drivers, but the association between the two remains unknown in this particular occupational cohort. This study aimed to examine the relationship between insomnia and lifestyle-related diseases among truck drivers. We investigated 875 male truck drivers of the Japan Truck Association, Akita branch, as of July 2020. The definition of insomnia was based on the International Classification of Sleep Disorders, Third Edition (ICSD-3). Data from a self-administered questionnaire were merged with health records and health insurance claims data of 2020. In total, 40.1% had either one of the lifestyle-related diseases including hypertension (29.7%), diabetes mellitus (11.7%), and dyslipidemia (24.8%), whereas according to ICSD-3, 13.2% had insomnia. Multivariate logistic regression models demonstrated that individuals with insomnia had approximately 2-fold increased risk of having at least one lifestyle-related disease (p < 0.001), hypertension (p = 0.0027), diabetes mellitus (p = 0.0654) and dyslipidemia (p < 0.001). Occupational characteristics including daily driving hours, driving distance, and travel days were not associated with any lifestyle-related diseases except for an association between short-haul and at least one disease. In conclusion, insomnia is significantly associated with increased risks of lifestyle-related diseases among male truck drivers in Japan.

Key words —— dyslipidemia; hypertension; insomnia; lifestyle-related diseases; truck drivers

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Tohoku J. Exp. Med., 2023 September, 261(1), 1-11.

Correspondence: Kyoko Nomura, Department of Environmental Health Science and Public Health, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-1-1 Hondo, Akita, Akita 010-8543, Japan.

e-mail: nomurakyoko@gmail.com