Journal of Occupational Health
Online ISSN : 1348-9585
Print ISSN : 1341-9145
ISSN-L : 1341-9145
Original Articles
How many truck drivers have sleep disorders? Investigation of the effects of lifestyle and stress on insomnia among Japanese male truck drivers
Ryoya AokiTakashi MiyachiYuta SuganoChoichiro KankeTeiichiro YamazakiKazuo MishimaKyoko Nomura
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JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS

2025 Volume 67 Issue 1 Article ID: uiaf012

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Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate how many male truck drivers have sleep disorders and what factors are most associated with chronic insomnia symptoms.

Methods: A cross-sectional study of 505 truck drivers in Akita prefecture was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire and health checkup data. We defined insomnia based on the International Classification of Sleep Disorders, third edition, sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) with a simple 4-variable screening tool, and restless legs syndrome (RLS) with RLS/Willis-Ekbom disease diagnostic criteria. Investigated factors included sleep duration, driving characteristics, caffeine types (foods and beverage) and amounts, caffeine intake timing, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), individual stress, and other covariates.

Results: The prevalence of suspected SAS was 23.2% (n = 154), and that of RLS was 0.8% (n = 5). After excluding those, chronic insomnia symptoms were present in 36/505 drivers (7.1%). After adjusting for covariates, a logistic model demonstrated that drinking habits [odds ratio (OR), 6.21; 95% CI, 1.07-35.8], caffeine intake before sleep (OR, 2.65; 95% CI, 1.09-6.45), sleep duration on days off (OR, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.01-2.05), and STAI score (OR, 12.8; 95% CI, 2.53-64.2) were significantly associated with chronic insomnia symptoms. STAI was significantly positively correlated with individual stress, such as family worries (r = 0.22), relationships with non-partners (r = 0.28), and health (r = 0.23).

Conclusions: Our study revealed that one-fourth of male truck drivers had sleep disorders that require further medical evaluation. For male truck drivers, lifestyle modification and stress relief may be key to address insomnia.

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© The Author(s) [2025]. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Japan Society for Occupational Health.

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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