The association between insomnia and cardiovascular risk factors in bus drivers in Iran

BACKGROUND: Road accidents are one of the most important issues in Iran which more than eighteen thousand persons are died annually because of this problem. Among the major reasons for this issue, sleepiness and cardiovascular disorder can be mentioned. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between insomnia and cardiovascular risk factors among professional drivers who are at high risk during driving. METHODS: A total of 1232 male bus drivers were included in the study and two different kinds of data sets were collected: (1) Sleep disorder information using Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS) and (2) Cardiovascular parameters such as systematic measurement of blood pressure, electrocardiography (ECG), total cholesterol, and triglyceride. RESULTS: Our study demonstrated that the prevalence of insomnia in professional bus drivers was 8 percent. The study showed significant association between age, diastolic hypertension and work experience with final awakening earlier than desired (P < 0.05), the rate of the triglyceride level and total sleep duration (p = 0.02), and BMI and sleepiness during the day (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggested that elevated serum triglyceride levels and increased diastolic blood pressure may be associated with some sleep complaints in drivers.