title: Prevalence of sleep problems and quality of life in an older population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the prevalence of insomnia traits in a population and the effect of these traits on health-related quality of life.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Epidemiology of Hearing Loss Study is a population-based study in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were interviewed as part of the 5-year follow-up examination (1998-2000) of the Epidemiology of Hearing Loss Study. Participants were interviewed at the study office in Beaver Dam, WI, by telephone, or at their residence.
  
  
  METHODS
  2800 adults aged 53-97 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  N/A.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants were asked to what extent they experienced difficulty getting to sleep, waking up at night and having a hard time getting back to sleep, and waking up repeatedly during the night for any reason. A response of "often" or "almost always" was coded as positive for an insomnia trait. The SF-36 was administered to assess mental and physical function. Twenty-six percent of the population reported one insomnia trait, 13% reported two, and 10% reported three. All eight domains and the Mental and Physical Component Summary scores of the SF-36 decreased significantly (F-test for linear trend statistically significant at p<0.0001) as the number of reported insomnia traits increased.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results indicate that symptoms of insomnia are common among older adults and are associated with a decrease in health related quality of life.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53 726-2397, USA.
authors.forename: Carla R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Schubert
authors.forename: Karen J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Cruickshanks
authors.forename: Dayna S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Dalton
authors.forename: Barbara E K
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.forename: Ronald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Nondahl
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D015995:Prevalence; D011788:Quality of Life; D017678:Sex Distribution; D020178:Sleep Disorders, Circadian Rhythm / Q000453:epidemiology; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*