The effects of daylight duration on the multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) results: A pilot study

• Published in: Sleep medicine 2024-09, Vol.121, p.94-101
• Main Authors: Packard, Andreja, Thomas, Robert J., DeBassio, William A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1389-9457; 1878-5506; 1878-5506
• DOI: 10.1016/j.sleep.2024.06.019

MSLT results are known to be affected by multiple factors including sleep time, frequency of nighttime arousals, and medications intake. Although being the main synchronizer of sleep and wakefulness, daylight duration effects on MSLT have not been examined. Burlington, Vermont, USA experiences great variations in daylight duration, ranging from 8 h 50 min to 15 h 33 min of daylight. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that there would be photoperiod duration effects on MSLTs performed during short daylight (short daylight studies, SDS) vs. long daylight (long daylight studies, LDS) from 2013 to 2023 in our sleep laboratory. We identified and analyzed 37 SDS (daylight 530–560 min) and 36 LDS (daylight 903–933 min) from our database. Groups of SDS and LDS results were compared using non-paired student T test, Chi-Square and non-parametric Mann Whitney U Test. Average daylight duration was 15 h 18 ± 14.6 min for LDS and 8 h 57 ± 18 min for SDS. Two groups did not differ in terms of the age, gender, BMI and race of patients studied. Mean total sleep time and sleep efficiency during PSG preceding MSLT, and MSLT mean sleep onset latency did not significantly differ for the two groups. However, SDS MSLT naps had significantly more sleep onset REM periods (SOREMP), and distribution of the number of SOREMP captured during MSLT was different for SDS and LDS groups. Differences of SDS and LDS results did not relate to sleep architecture of the overnight PSG as analysis of sleep and REM latency and relative percentages of N1, N2, REM, and N3 was not significantly different between SDS and LDS. The two groups showed difference in arousal indexes during N1 and REM sleep. Daylight duration may impact MSLT results and should probably be accounted for in MSLT interpretation. Attention to photoperiod could be considered in MSLT guidelines, if our results are replicated in larger samples. •MSLT results may vary with daylight duration.•MSLT completed during the shortest daylight may have more SOREM periods.•MSLT differences were not related to sleep architecture.•Observed MSLT differences due to daylight duration were related to frequency of arousals during stages 1 and REM.•MSLT differences due to daylight duration may lead to different diagnoses in central disorders of hypersomnolence.