About three-fourths of individuals with insomnia report
experiencing the condition for at least one year and almost half
experience it for three years, according to a report in the March 9
issue of Archives of
Internal Medicine.
Insomnia is the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep.
"Approximately 30 percent of adults report symptoms of insomnia and 6
percent to 10 percent meet diagnostic criteria for an insomnia
disorder," the authors write as background information in the article.
Several factors such as being female, increasing age, having anxiety or
depression and experiencing pain from medical conditions have been
associated with insomnia. The condition has been linked to higher
health care costs, work absenteeism, disability and higher risk of
hypertension and depression.
Charles M. Morin, Ph.D., of Université Laval and Centre de
recherche University Laval's Robert Giffard,
Quebec, Canada, and colleagues evaluated insomnia persistence,
remission and relapse in 388 adults (average age 44.8) over a course of
three years. Individuals with an insomnia syndrome (insomnia symptoms
at least three nights per week for at least one month causing
substantial distress or daytime impairment) at the beginning of the
study (n=119) were compared to those with insomnia symptoms (n=269) to
examine the course of initial severe sleep difficulties.