A Population-based Investigation into the Self-reported Reasons for Sleep Problems

Overview

Journal PLoS One

Specialties General Medicine
Science

Date 2014 Jul 2

PMID 24983754

Citations 9

Authors

David Armstrong

Alex Dregan

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Typologies of sleep problems have usually relied on identifying underlying causes or symptom clusters. In this study the value of using the patient's own reasons for sleep disturbance are explored. Using secondary data analysis of a nationally representative psychiatric survey the patterning of the various reasons respondents provided for self-reported sleep problems were examined. Over two thirds (69.3%) of respondents could identify a specific reason for their sleep problem with worry (37.9%) and illness (20.1%) representing the most commonly reported reasons. And while women reported more sleep problems for almost every reason compared with men, the patterning of reasons by age showed marked variability. Sleep problem symptoms such as difficulty getting to sleep or waking early also showed variability by different reasons as did the association with major correlates such as worry, depression, anxiety and poor health. While prevalence surveys of 'insomnia' or 'poor sleep' often assume the identification of an underlying homogeneous construct there may be grounds for recognising the existence of different sleep problem types particularly in the context of the patient's perceived reason for the problem.

Citing Articles

Objective and subjective measures of sleep initiation are differentially associated with DNA methylation in adolescents.

Larsen M, He F, Kawasawa Y, Berg A, Vgontzas A, Liao D Clin Epigenetics. 2023; 15(1):136.

PMID: 37634000 PMC: 10464279. DOI: 10.1186/s13148-023-01553-2.

Postpartum quality of life and associated factors: a cross-sectional study.

Al Rehaili B, Al-Raddadi R, ALEnezi N, ALYami A Qual Life Res. 2023; 32(7):2099-2106.

PMID: 37036641 PMC: 10241675. DOI: 10.1007/s11136-023-03384-3.

The link between problematic internet use, problematic gaming, and psychological distress: does sleep quality matter?.

Wang Q, Mati K, Cai Y BMC Psychiatry. 2021; 21(1):103.

PMID: 33593315 PMC: 7888157. DOI: 10.1186/s12888-021-03105-5.

Bullying, health complaints, and self-rated health among school-aged children and adolescents.

Hansson E, Garmy P, Vilhjalmsson R, Kristjansdottir G J Int Med Res. 2020; 48(2):300060519895355.

PMID: 32054367 PMC: 7105741. DOI: 10.1177/0300060519895355.

Gender Differences in Perpetuating Factors, Experience and Management of Chronic Insomnia.

Sidani S, Guruge S, Fox M, Collins L J Gend Stud. 2019; 28(4):402-413.

PMID: 31223201 PMC: 6585992. DOI: 10.1080/09589236.2018.1491394.

References

Roberts R, Shema S, Kaplan G . Prospective data on sleep complaints and associated risk factors in an older cohort. Psychosom Med. 1999; 61(2):188-96. DOI: 10.1097/00006842-199903000-00011. View

Dregan A, Armstrong D . Age, cohort and period effects in the prevalence of sleep disturbances among older people: the impact of economic downturn. Soc Sci Med. 2009; 69(10):1432-8. DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2009.08.041. View

Ohayon M . Epidemiology of insomnia: what we know and what we still need to learn. Sleep Med Rev. 2003; 6(2):97-111. DOI: 10.1053/smrv.2002.0186. View

Voderholzer U, Al-Shajlawi A, Weske G, Feige B, Riemann D . Are there gender differences in objective and subjective sleep measures? A study of insomniacs and healthy controls. Depress Anxiety. 2003; 17(3):162-72. DOI: 10.1002/da.10101. View

Ohayon M, Reynolds 3rd C . Epidemiological and clinical relevance of insomnia diagnosis algorithms according to the DSM-IV and the International Classification of Sleep Disorders (ICSD). Sleep Med. 2009; 10(9):952-60. PMC: 3715324. DOI: 10.1016/j.sleep.2009.07.008. View

Leger D, Poursain B . An international survey of insomnia: under-recognition and under-treatment of a polysymptomatic condition. Curr Med Res Opin. 2005; 21(11):1785-92. DOI: 10.1185/030079905X65637. View

Foley D, Monjan A, Simonsick E, Wallace R, Blazer D . Incidence and remission of insomnia among elderly adults: an epidemiologic study of 6,800 persons over three years. Sleep. 1999; 22 Suppl 2:S366-72. View

Billiard M, Bentley A . Is insomnia best categorized as a symptom or a disease?. Sleep Med. 2004; 5 Suppl 1:S35-40. DOI: 10.1016/s1389-9457(04)90006-8. View

Morgan K, Dallosso H, Ebrahim S, Arie T, Fentem P . Characteristics of subjective insomnia in the elderly living at home. Age Ageing. 1988; 17(1):1-7. DOI: 10.1093/ageing/17.1.1. View

10.

Weyerer S, Dilling H . Prevalence and treatment of insomnia in the community: results from the Upper Bavarian Field Study. Sleep. 1991; 14(5):392-8. View

11.

Ohayon M, Roth T . What are the contributing factors for insomnia in the general population?. J Psychosom Res. 2001; 51(6):745-55. DOI: 10.1016/s0022-3999(01)00285-9. View

12.

Dregan A, Armstrong D . Cross-country variation in sleep disturbance among working and older age groups: an analysis based on the European Social Survey. Int Psychogeriatr. 2011; 23(9):1413-20. DOI: 10.1017/S1041610211000664. View

13.

Anders M, Breckenkamp J, Blettner M, Schlehofer B, Berg-Beckhoff G . Association between socioeconomic factors and sleep quality in an urban population-based sample in Germany. Eur J Public Health. 2013; 24(6):968-73. DOI: 10.1093/eurpub/ckt175. View

14.

Ohayon M, Bader G . Prevalence and correlates of insomnia in the Swedish population aged 19-75 years. Sleep Med. 2010; 11(10):980-6. DOI: 10.1016/j.sleep.2010.07.012. View

15.

Taylor D, Lichstein K, Heith Durrence H, Reidel B, Bush A . Epidemiology of insomnia, depression, and anxiety. Sleep. 2005; 28(11):1457-64. DOI: 10.1093/sleep/28.11.1457. View

16.

Bultmann U, Nielsen M, Madsen I, Burr H, Rugulies R . Sleep disturbances and fatigue: independent predictors of sickness absence? A prospective study among 6538 employees. Eur J Public Health. 2012; 23(1):123-8. DOI: 10.1093/eurpub/ckr207. View

17.

Tang N, Harvey A . Correcting distorted perception of sleep in insomnia: a novel behavioural experiment?. Behav Res Ther. 2004; 42(1):27-39. DOI: 10.1016/s0005-7967(03)00068-8. View

18.

Dregan A, Armstrong D . Adolescence sleep disturbances as predictors of adulthood sleep disturbances--a cohort study. J Adolesc Health. 2010; 46(5):482-7. DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2009.11.197. View