Epidemiology of sleep and sleep disorders in The Netherlands

There is a surging public interest in The Netherlands concerning sleep, sleep disorders and associated health. For a proper perspective, it is necessary to have reliable information on the prevalence of sleep characteristics at the national level. This study set out to assess prevalence rates and key characteristics of sleep and sleep disorders in The Netherlands.

In 2012, a nationally representative sample of 2089 individuals, aged 18-70 years, responded to a set of 48 questions, including the Holland Sleep Disorders Questionnaire, a validated questionnaire based on the International Classification of Sleep Disorders.

Prevalence rates were: 32.1% for a general sleep disturbance (GSD), 43.2% for insufficient sleep, 8.2 for insomnia, 5.3% for circadian rhythm sleep disorder, 6.1% for parasomnia, 5.9% for hypersomnolence, 12.5% for restless legs disorder and limb movements during sleep, 7.1% for sleep related breathing disorder, and 12.2% for the presence of comorbidity, ie, the presence of two or more concurrent sleep disorders. In addition, sleep onset time as well as sleep duration showed U-shaped relationships with GSD prevalence rates, with respectively the 22:00-24:00 period and seven to 8 h as optimal associates.

Sleep disorders and insufficient sleep have a high prevalence. As matter of concern, female adolescents reached the highest prevalence rates for most sleep disorders, insufficient sleep and daytime malfunctioning.