ASSESSMENT OF SLEEP QUALITY IN UKRAINIANS DURING THE MARTIAL LAW AND THE RISK OF CARDIOVASCULAR COMPLAINTS DEVELOPMENT IN THE CONTEXT OF CLINICALLY SEVERE INSOMNIA

Abstract

The aim: To study the problem of insomnia in Ukrainians during the first 11 months of the martial law in the country. To determine the predominant type of insomnia in the population. To calculate and assess the risk indicator for the development of cardiovascular complaints in the context of deteriorating sleep quality during the martial law and the risk ratio. Materials and methods: Anamnestic, statistical and calculative methods were used. 321 participants from Ukrainian population took part in an anonymous online survey. 210 respondents were female (65.4 %) and 111 were male (34.6 %). The age distribution was as follows: 18-19 years old (23.1 %), 20-21 years old (14 %), 22-23 years old (28.7 %), 24-25 years old (8.1 %), 26-27 years old (6.2 %), 28-29 years old (6.2 %), 30 years and older (13.7 %). The questionnaire included several sections: general questions regarding the respondents’ characteristics and presence of sleep disorders; questions of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) [2]; subjective assessment of the sleep quality of the respondents during the first 11 months of the martial law and the presence of cardiovascular complaints that appeared or intensified during this period; details of mentioned complaints. Results: 245 respondents (76.3 % of 321) of the entire sample reported about sleep disturbances that developed after February 24, 2022. According to the PSQІ, only 17 respondents (7 %) scored 0-7 points, indicating the absence of insomnia, 180 respondents (73 %) scored 8-14 points, suggesting subclinical insomnia, 48 respondents (20 %) scored 15-21 points, indicating clinically significant insomnia. 209 (85.3 %) attributed these changes to the wartime events in the country. The most significant deterioration in sleep quality during the first 11 months of martial law in the country was observed in March 2022 and the best level of sleep quality was indicated in July. The odds ratio in risk calculation was 3.01; the significance level of the obtained data is 0.006. Conclusions: Subclinical insomnia dominates among Ukrainians during the martial law in the country. There is an increased risk of cardiovascular complaints in the population of Ukraine in the presence of clinically significant sleep disorders related to the martial law. Prolonged exposure to stress for Ukrainians can result in deteriorating sleep quality and increasing in cardiovascular complaints.