Discrepancy between desired time in bed and desired total sleep time in patients with cancer: The DBST index and its relationship with insomnia severity and sleep onset latency

Patients with cancer can often experience insomnia or sleep disturbances. This study aimed to explore whether the discrepancy between a patient’s desired time in bed and desired total sleep time (DBST index) can be used as a measurement tool for insomnia severity or sleep onset latency [SOL] in patients with cancer. This retrospective medical records review study gathered clinical information and scores from scales and indices such as the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Cancer-related Dysfunctional Beliefs about Sleep (C-DBS) scale, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 items (PHQ-9), State subcategory of State and Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the short form of the Fear of Progression Questionnaire. Sleep indices of time variables (bedtime, sleep onset time, and wake-up time), duration variables [SOL, time in bed (TIB), time in bed over 24 hours (TIB/d), and duration from wake-up time to bedtime (WTB)], and DBST index were calculated. ISI scores were predicted by the PHQ-9 (β = 0.34, P < 0.001), C-DBS scale (β = 0.17, P = 0.034), and DBST indices (β = 0.22, P = 0.004). Long SOL value was predicted by early bedtimes (β = −0.18, P = 0.045), short WTB durations (β = -0.26, P = 0.004), and high DBST index values (β = 0.19, P = 0.013). The DBST index was significantly correlated with both insomnia severity and SOL in patients with cancer.