Epidemiology of insomnia : prevalence, course, risk factors, and public health burden

Abstract

This paper summarizes recent epidemiological evidence on insomnia, including its prevalence, incidence, and risk factors, as well as its course and consequences. There is now substantial evidence that insomnia is a significant public health problem. It is a highly prevalent condition, both as a symptom and a syndrome, and is often a persistent condition over time. Its persistence is associated with increased risk for mental (major depression), physical (hypertension), and occupational health problems (disability). Chronic insomnia also carries heavy economic burden, both in terms of direct healthcare costs and, more importantly, in terms of human resources loss due to the illness and lack of treatment. These findings have direct implications for community-based prevention and intervention programs and for future research including the need for: a) longitudinal, population-based studies aimed at evaluating whether we can prevent insomnia among at-risk individuals; b) clinical studies evaluating whether the morbidity associated with chronic insomnia is reversible; and c) prospective health economic evaluations of prevention programs using different dissemination technologies.