title: High-altitude sleep disturbance: results of the Groningen Sleep Quality Questionnaire survey.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the Groningen Sleep Quality Scale (GSQS) for evaluation of high-altitude sleep (HAS) disturbance and employ GSQ questionnaire to describe HAS.
  
  
  METHODS
  After the first night's stay at the altitude of 3500 m, quality of sleep for 100 participants (age: 29.13+/-11.01 years; 36 females/64 males) was assessed using the self-administered 15-item GSQS translated into Farsi.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean GSQS score was 5.36+/-4.32; 38 (38%) participants had a score equal to or less than 2, and 46 (46%) participants had a score equal to or more than 6. A Cronbach's alpha of 0.90 was calculated for internal consistency. Waking up several times during the night was the most prevalent complaint during the first night of sleep, and absolute inability to sleep was the most uncommon problem.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HAS disturbance, which involved many of newcomers to a high altitude, had various harmful effects. For HAS research, GSQS was confirmed to be valid and reliable.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Shariati Hospital, Medical Sciences/University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran. jafarian_s@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Sirous
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jafarian
authors.forename: Farzam
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gorouhi
authors.forename: Arsia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Taghva
authors.forename: Jamshid
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lotfi
mesh_terms: D000064:Acclimatization; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000532:Altitude Sickness / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires