Abstract
Healthcare workers frequently encounter demanding schedules, shift work, and significant psychological stressors, all of which can contribute to gastrointestinal disturbances and sleep irregularities. Although research has established that stress and shift work are independent risk factors for gastrointestinal discomfort and insomnia, the direct link between these two conditions in healthcare workers remains insufficiently explored. In this cross-sectional study, we recruited 372 healthcare workers from 6 public hospitals in Quanzhou via an online survey. Gastrointestinal and insomnia symptoms were measured using the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS) and the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), respectively, and analyzed via univariate and multivariate logistic regression models. Overall, 40.6% of participants reported insomnia symptoms. The GSRS total score was positively associated with insomnia both before (OR 1.18, 95% CI 1.12-1.25) and after adjustment for confounders including age, gender, anxiety, depression, somatization, and weekly night shift count (adjusted OR 1.07, 95% CI 1.00-1.15). These findings underscore a significant relationship between gastrointestinal symptoms and insomnia among healthcare workers, highlighting the need for targeted interventions to improve both GI health and sleep quality, thereby enhancing work efficiency and the overall quality of patient care.