Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is often accompanied by comorbid conditions, including sleep disturbances related to sleep regularity and timing. The Sleep Regularity Index (SRI) is a novel measure that assesses the probability that an individual is awake (vs. asleep) at any two time points 24 h apart. We calculated actigraphy-based SRI on 124 participants with alcohol dependence to capture the effects of changes in sleep timing and duration among patients enrolled in an inpatient alcohol treatment program. During the course of the study, the mean SRI increased between weeks 1 and 3 (75.4 to 77.8), thus indicating slightly improved sleep quality and regularity during alcohol treatment. Individuals within the bottom quartile of SRI scores at week 1 improved significantly over time. Average total SRI for individuals with no mood disorders was slightly higher than that for individuals with one or more mood disorders. Increased SRI scores were associated with lower total nap duration from week 1 to week 3. Increased SRI scores were associated with decreased mental/physical exhaustion scores from week 1 to week 3. The SRI could be a target for assessment/intervention in certain sub-groups of individuals undergoing inpatient treatment for AUD.
Keywords: alcohol use disorder; insomnia; mood disorder; sleep disturbance; sleep regularity; substance use disorder.