Association between multiple sleep dimensions and functional bowel disorders among Chinese college freshmen

Background Although sleep disorder is thought as a risk factor for functional bowel disorders, its impact role in adolescents remains unknown and the contribution of different sleep dimensions may deserve further attention. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between multiple sleep dimensions and functional bowel disorders among Chinese college freshmen. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted in college freshmen from Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, China in September 2019 with random cluster sampling method. All participants completed questionnaires about living habits, sleep and digestive symptoms. Diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome and functional constipation were based on the Rome IV criteria. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were applied to assess the association of sleep dimensions with irritable bowel syndrome or functional constipation. Results Based on the 3335 individuals who completed the questionnaire, the overall prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome and functional constipation in college freshmen were 2.5% and 1.7%, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that compared with individuals reporting good sleep quality, those reporting poor (OR = 7.269, 95%CI: 2.876–18.370) were associated with increased risk of irritable bowel syndrome. Similarly, those reporting fair (OR = 2.068, 95%CI: 1.010–4.236) and poor (OR = 5.664, 95%CI: 1.864–17.205) were associated with increased risk of functional constipation. There was no statistically significant association between other sleep dimensions (sleep duration, sleep timing, or sleep latency) and irritable bowel syndrome or functional constipation. Conclusion Self-reported poor sleep quality was a stronger independent predictor of functional bowel disorders than other sleep dimensions among Chinese college freshmen. Future intervention studies should consider the role of sleep quality for the prevention of FBDs in adolescents.