Insomnia and both socioeconomic status and individual behavior: a two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis

Background The association between socioeconomic status and individual behavior (SES/IB) with the development of insomnia is an area of increasing interest. Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was utilized by us to investigate the causal relationship between SES/IB and the onset of insomnia and to support the creation of effective strategies for the detection and prevention of this disorder. Method A two-sample MR study was carried out to assess the causal impacts of SES/IB on insomnia. The main analysis uses inverse variance weighting(IVW), while other MR methods include MR egger and weighted median. Various tests were conducted, including a pleiotropy test, heterogeneity test, and leave-one-out test. Result The MR analysis results showed: Maternal smoking around birth(OR[95%CI] = 1.22[ 1.03–1.45], p  = 0.021)、Time spent watching television(OR[95%CI] = 1.17[ 1.11–1.24], p  = 1.21E-09) and Smoking status(OR[95%CI] = 1.10[ 1.04–1.17], p  = 0.0018) were positively associated with the incidence of insomnia. In addition,Educational attainment(OR[95%CI] = 0.98[ 0.97–0.99], p = 5.68E-11)、Average total household income before tax(OR[95%CI] = 0.87[ 0.83–0.91], p = 4.90E-08)、Fresh fruit consumption(OR[95%CI] = 0.83[ 0.70-1.00], p = 0.047) and Age at first birth(OR[95%CI] = 0.97[ 0.96–0.99], p = 3.00E-05) were negatively correlated with the risk of insomnia. Conclusion The phenotypes associated with SES/IB exert a broad and diverse influence on the prevalence of insomnia. These insights could potentially inform the development of practical approaches for the screening and proactive prevention of insomnia, offering avenues for targeted interventions to mitigate the impact of this pervasive sleep disorder.