[A survey of sleeping difficulties in an urban Latin American population]

To report the results of the first regional survey on the prevalence of sleep disturbances in an urban Latin American population.

Door-to-door and telephone interviews in main urban areas were performed in two phases. In phase one, 1776 adults, aged 18 to 70 were interviewed in Buenos Aires and São Paulo. In phase two, adults aged 18 to 77 were interviewed in Buenos Aires, São Paulo and Mexico City (n = 300 in each city).

Two-thirds of those surveyed in phase 1, regardless of age and gender, reported some type of sleep problem within the last 12 months. Up to 25 % of individuals surveyed in phase 2 reported being severely affected or moderately affected by their sleep problems. The severity of the condition increased with age, women being more severely affected than men. On average, individuals reported suffering from sleep difficulties for a period of 5 years and were affected 15.5 nights per month. Although 8.2 hours of sleep was most desired, Latin Americans were sleeping on average 5.8 hours per night. Those severely affected lost about 3 hours per night. Individuals reported stress and worry as the primary trigger for their sleep problems, followed by health concerns. All respondents reported the negative impact of poor sleep on their health and quality of life.

The survey indicates that the prevalence of sleep difficulties in an urban Latin America population is high.