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A population-based investigation into the self-reported reasons for sleep problems
David Armstrong1, Alex Dregan2
1King's College London, Department of Primary Care and Public Health Sciences, London, United Kingdom.
Plos One
|July 2, 2014
Summary
Patients often identify specific reasons for sleep problems, primarily worry and illness. Understanding these patient-reported causes may reveal distinct sleep problem types beyond traditional classifications.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Sleep Medicine
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Traditional sleep problem typologies focus on causes or symptoms.
- Patient-perceived reasons for sleep disturbance are underexplored.
- Existing research often assumes a homogeneous construct for insomnia or poor sleep.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the value of patient-reported reasons in understanding sleep problems.
- To examine the patterning of various reasons for self-reported sleep disturbances.
- To explore potential for recognizing distinct sleep problem types based on patient perception.
Main Methods:
- Secondary data analysis of a nationally representative psychiatric survey.
- Examination of the patterning of reasons provided by respondents for sleep problems.
- Analysis of symptom variability and associations with correlates based on reported reasons.
Main Results:
- Over two-thirds (69.3%) of respondents identified a specific reason for their sleep problem.
- Worry (37.9%) and illness (20.1%) were the most common reasons cited.
- Variability in reasons was observed across age groups and genders, and in relation to symptoms and correlates like depression and anxiety.
Conclusions:
- Patient-reported reasons offer valuable insights into sleep disturbances.
- Recognizing distinct sleep problem types based on perceived reasons is warranted.
- This approach may refine our understanding beyond homogeneous constructs of insomnia.
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