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Abstract Introduction In the Hispanic community, sleep impairment and the prevalence of anxiety represent pressing concerns. Sleep quality and patterns can be significantly affected by anxiety-related symptoms and disorders. Conversely, insufficient or disrupted sleep can worsen anxiety symptoms, creating a complex interplay. While chronic sleep disorders affect a substantial portion of the American population, including Hispanics, research addressing these complex issues within this specific demographic remains limited. This study seeks to illuminate the relationship between anxiety and sleep impairment among Hispanics in Florida, aiming to provide valuable insights into these critical health aspects. Methods Data were collected from the NIH-funded study DORMIR. DORMIR is a remote health monitoring study designed to identify behavioral, genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors linked to insufficient sleep and their relationship to cardiovascular health within the Latino/a population. Latino/a adults 18+ years old (N=317, 67.8% female, ages 37.9±15.0 years) completed several surveys including the PROMIS Sleep Related Impairment (SRI) and PROMIS Emotional Distress - Anxiety measures. Linear regression analysis was performed with age, sex, income, and body mass index (BMI) as covariates to determine the impact of anxiety on sleep-related impairment. Results The average SRI score was 8.34±3.63, while the mean Emotional Distress - Anxiety score was 18.0±7.46. Anxiety F (5,311) = 15.6, β1=0.366, p 0.001, income F (5,311) = 15.6, β1= - 0.165, p=0.003], and BMI F (5,311) = 15.6, β1=0.113, p =0.030 all independently predicted sleep-related impairment, while adjusting for covariates. Anxiety levels and BMI scores were positively associated with sleep-related impairment, while income was negatively associated with sleep-related impairment among Latino/a adults. Conclusion This study shows that higher levels of anxiety, increased BMI scores, and lower income are linked to increased sleep impairment in Latino/a individuals. Additional research is required to examine whether external factors may act as confounding variables in this correlation. Such investigations would enable the development of tailored solutions aimed at mitigating both poor sleep health and emotional distress. These findings underscore the critical need for targeted interventions to address the impact of poor sleep on the health of the Latino/a population. Support (if any) 5R01HL152453
Garchitorena et al. (Sat,) studied this question.