The present study evaluated the predictors of insufficient sleep in a large epidemiologic sample. Nearly, all variables were significantly related to insufficient sleep to some degree, though some factors (e.g., overall mental health) were more strongly related than others (e.g., alcohol use). Taken together, these findings demonstrate that a myriad of social and behavioral factors contribute to insufficient sleep.
The proportion of variance explained by this relatively wide array of variables is restricted to approximately 17–20%. This is a relatively low figure, given the large number of potential factors included. It is possible that other factors not included, such as work schedule, number of jobs, beliefs and attitudes about sleep, and history of sleep, medical, and psychiatric disorders, may also play unique roles. Further, there is likely a high degree of measurement error in these survey items, contributing to a diminished predictive ability.