254-OR: Sleep Disturbance and Diabetes Symptom Burden in Young Adults with Type 1 Diabetes

Introduction: Sleep disturbance including difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep (insomnia symptoms) are associated with diabetes symptoms, precursors to micro-and macrovascular complications, among young adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D). About 50% of young adults develop vascular complications; however, modifiable contributors of diabetes symptoms are understudied in this population. Therefore, the purpose of this quantitative descriptive study was to determine the associations between sleep disturbance and diabetes symptom burden in young adults with T1D.

Methods: Baseline data from two longitudinal cohorts of young adults aged 18 to 26 years with T1D (61.3% female, 81.2% Non-Hispanic White) were analyzed. Sleep disturbance was measured with the 19-item Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, insomnia symptoms with the 7-item Insomnia Severity Index, and diabetes symptom burden with the 34-item Diabetes Symptom Checklist Revised. Associations were analyzed using multivariable linear and logistic regression models adjusted for age, race, sex at birth, T1D duration, and insulin pump use.

Results: Higher sleep disturbance and higher insomnia symptom severity were associated with a higher diabetes symptom burden even after considering covariates in the linear regression models. In logistic regression models, those with significant insomnia symptoms had 4 times higher odds of a high diabetes symptom burden in the unadjusted and adjusted models. Those with high sleep disturbance had 2.6 times higher odds of a high diabetes symptom burden; however, the association was no longer significant after adjusting for covariates.

Conclusion: Reducing sleep disturbance including difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep may alleviate the burden of diabetes symptoms among young adults with T1D.