title: Correlations among insomnia symptoms, sleep medication use and depressive symptoms.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To elucidate the factors associated with insomnia symptoms and the use of sleep medication, and the correlations among insomnia symptoms, sleep medication use and depressive symptoms in the general population.
  
  
  METHODS
  This survey was conducted in a rural community of Japan. Questionnaires consisted of basic information, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and a 12-item version of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale, and were administered to all community members aged 20 years or over. A total of 2822 respondents with valid answers were subjected to analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Occurrence of insomnia symptoms appeared to be associated with advancing age and existence of depressive symptoms. The extent of sleep medication use in the entire sample was 9%, and the value in the subjects with insomnia symptoms was 26%. Sleep medication use in insomniacs was associated with female sex and advancing age as well as higher scores in subcomponents of both poor subjective sleep quality and prolonged delay of sleep onset. Depressive symptoms were worst in the group with insomnia symptoms using sleep medication, and were significantly lower in the group without insomnia symptoms using sleep medication.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study revealed that female sex, advancing age, depressive symptoms, poor sleep quality, and prolonged delay of sleep onset appeared as risk factors for sleep medication use. Insomnia symptoms were suspected to act as an exacerbating factor for depressive symptoms. However, our findings suggested that appropriate use of sleep medication could reduce depressive symptoms in the subjects with insomnia symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Somnology, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, Japan. ykoma@tokyo-med.ac.jp
authors.forename: Yoko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Komada
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nomura
authors.forename: Masayoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kusumi
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakashima
authors.forename: Isa
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Okajima
authors.forename: Taeko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sasai
authors.forename: Yuichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Inoue
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D012890:Sleep / Q000187:drug effects; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives