Sleep-related problems and use of hypnotics in inpatients of acute hospital wards.
OBJECTIVE
Although sleep disorders are highly prevalent among patients with physical disorders, only limited information is available about the actual status of sleep-related problems in inpatients of acute hospital wards. We conducted a multicenter cross-sectional observational survey investigating the prevalence of sleep disorders and use of hypnotic-sedative drugs among inpatients of acute wards in 44 general hospitals in Japan.


METHODS
Questionnaire-, actigraph- and observation-based sleep evaluations were simultaneously performed in 557 adult inpatients [mean age 72.8 + or - 12.8 (S.D.) years] of acute wards during a one-month period in July 2007.


RESULTS
Of the 421 patients with data available, 22.3% had at least one of the following sleep disorders: sleep apnea syndrome, restless legs syndrome, periodic limb movement disorder and nocturnal behavior disorder. Similarly, 62.7% had insomnia, 6.9% had severe daytime sleepiness and 12.8% had other sleep-related symptoms. Only 13.8% were free of any sleep-related problem. Although 33.7% of insomnia patients were taking hypnotic-sedative drugs, 65.2% of them complained of residual insomnia symptoms.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings obtained in this study have revealed the remarkably high prevalence of sleep-related problems experienced by inpatients of acute hospital wards in Japan. Proper diagnosis of sleep disorders should be made among patients with physical disorders.
Enomoto
Minori
M
Department of Psychophysiology, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo 187-8553, Japan. minori@ncnp.go.jp
Tsutsui
Takako
T
Higashino
Sadanori
S
Otaga
Masaaki
M
Higuchi
Shigekazu
S
Aritake
Sayaka
S
Hida
Akiko
A
Tamura
Miyuki
M
Matsuura
Masato
M
Kaneita
Yoshitaka
Y
Takahashi
Kiyohisa
K
Mishima
Kazuo
K
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007297:Inpatients; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives