Firefighter sleep: a pilot study of the agreement between actigraphy and self-reported sleep measures

Study Objectives: The aim of this study is to determine the extent of agreement between self-reported measurements of total sleep time (TST) and actigraphy in the fire and emergency services occupation. Methods: Twenty-four firefighters participated in an 18-day study. Four measurements were used to assess TST: Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, a newly developed habitual Extended Sleep Survey, a newly developed daily Emergency Services Sleep Diary (ESSD), and actigraphy. The Extended Sleep Survey and ESSD were constructed to address the specific job-related characteristics of fire and emergency services that other measurements cannot achieve (eg, multiple sleep episode in a single night). Results: The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index TST is least accurate compared to actigraphy. The Extended Sleep Survey TST shows improvement over Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index TST, but was statistically different from actigraphy TST. No difference in mean TST was found between ESSD TST and actigraphy TST. Furthermore, ESSD TST and actigraphy TST correlated strongly together. Conclusions: Without modification, traditional self-reported measures may not be appropriate in the fire and emergency service occupation. This study suggests that the ESSD may serve as a useful alternative to actigraphy to measure TST.