LAUSR

Multiple sclerosis (MS), a neurodegenerative disease with typical onset in young to middle adulthood, results in disrupted sleep more commonly than the general population. There are known sex differences in MS onset and clinical course. MS, however, affects approximately three times more women than men, resulting in less attention to the male experience. Thus, there is a lack of information on disrupted sleep among men with MS. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between personal factors, behaviors, and sleep quality among men with MS. Men with MS aged 20 to 90 years participated in an online anonymous survey recruited through the National MS Society website. Pearson’s correlations and linear regression were used to examine relationships between personal factors (age (years), type of MS, years since MS was diagnosed by a physician and race), sleep promoting behaviors (Sleep Behavior Self-Rating Scale), and sleep quality (Sleep Impact Short-Form total score). Four hundred ninety-six men with MS (mean age=53 years; SD=12.8; range 22-81 years) completed the survey. The majority were white (n=428; 86%) and married (n=358; 72%), with relapsing-remitting MS (n=323; 65%). Sleep quality ranged widely (mean=43.2; SD=3; range 27.9-59.9) with 90% reporting poor sleep. Pearson correlation results indicated a significant positive association between sleep quality and sleep promoting behaviors (r=.339) and negative associations with age (r=-234) and race (r=-.148). Multiple regression showed that sleep promoting behaviors and age statistically significantly predicted sleep quality (F(5,399) =15.51,p<.001,R2=.152). MS type, years passed since MS diagnoses and race did not add significantly to the prediction. These findings suggest that poor sleep quality was strongly associated with sleep promoting behaviors among in older men with MS. Improving sleep promoting behaviors may substantially improve sleep quality. Further qualitative research is required to address the lack of information on understanding factors that disturb sleep among men with MS. This study was supported by National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) UB Clinical Scholar Program in Implementation Science to Achieve Triple Aims -NIH K12 Faculty Scholar Program in Implementation Science (NHLBI) Award