title: Sleep-related problems and use of hypnotics in inpatients of acute hospital wards.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychophysiology, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo 187-8553, Japan. minori@ncnp.go.jp
authors.forename: Minori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Enomoto
authors.forename: Takako
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsutsui
authors.forename: Sadanori
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Higashino
authors.forename: Masaaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Otaga
authors.forename: Shigekazu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Higuchi
authors.forename: Sayaka
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aritake
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hida
authors.forename: Miyuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tamura
authors.forename: Masato
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matsuura
authors.forename: Yoshitaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kaneita
authors.forename: Kiyohisa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mishima
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives