Circadian preference and its relationship with possible sleep and awake bruxism in adults assisted by the public health system

ABSTRACT

Modern lifestyle and social demands induce changes in sleep routines that may not meet individual circadian preferences (chronotype). Such changes may be associated with the development of unhealthy lifestyles and the emergence of diseases relevant to public health services, such as obesity, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus, as well as sleep bruxism (SB) and awake bruxism (AB). The present study aimed to assess the relationship between the evening, morning or intermediate chronotypes with the report of possible SB and AB in adult individuals assisted by the Family Health Strategy (FHS). The selection of participants was performed through probabilistic cluster analysis. The sample size (n = 384) was calculated to include a representative sample of the 52,628 adults registered in the FHS of a countryside city located in the Southeast Region of Brazil. The Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) was used to determine the chronotype, and Questionnaire-Based Self-Reported Bruxism was used for identifying possible SB and AB. The following clinical and social-behavioral variables were also evaluated: age, sex, BMI, income, physical activity, schooling, alcohol consumption and smoking, chronic diseases and depression. Two logistic regression models were used: one for SB and one for AB. Possible SB was associated with female sex, lack of physical activity and income above 2 minimum wages. Regarding chronotype, a 19% reduction in the chance of possible SB was observed in morning individuals compared to evening individuals (p = .017). Possible AB was associated with younger individuals, smoking and depression. In conclusion, compared with the evening circadian preference, the morning circadian preference was associated with greater protection against possible SB in an adult population assisted by the FHS.

KEYWORDS:

• Sleep bruxism
• circadian rhythm
• chronobiological phenomena

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Mayor, the Health System Coordinator and all professionals of the Family Health Strategy of the municipality of Lavras (MG, Brazil) for all the support during data collection.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by The National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), the Minas State Research Foundation (FAPEMIG), and the Brazilian Federal Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education (CAPES);Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES, Grant 001); Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient?fico e Tecnol?gico; Foundation for Supporting Research in the State of Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG).