title: A prospective questionnaire study in 100 healthy sleepers: non-bothersome forms of recognizable sleep disorders are still present.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Despite several polysomnographic normative studies and multiple surveys of sleep disorders in the general population, few data have been collected on healthy sleepers. We aimed to survey the characteristics of healthy sleep.
  
  
  METHODS
  We prospectively investigated the sleep history of 100 subjects of a representative population sample who reported undisturbed sleep and in whom relevant sleep disorders were ruled out by a two-step screening procedure. Approximately four subjects had to be contacted for identifying 1 eligible subject who participated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median reported time in bed was from 23:00 (21:30-02:00) to 07:00 (05:30-11:00). The total sleep duration was 7.3 h (5-10 h), varying from 7.5 h in the age group ≤ 30 years to 7 h in subjects aged 40-60 years and to 8 h in subjects > 60 years (p = 0.002). The median sleep efficiency was high (93.3%, range: 55.6% to 100%). Fifty-one subjects reported occasional snoring. Forty-five subjects reported sporadic non-bothersome sleep-related movement disorders (25 sleep-related leg cramps, 22 lifetime bruxism, 5 restless legs syndrome), and 36 had a history of sporadic non-bothersome parasomnias (27 nightmares, 12 sleepwalking, 1 sleep paralysis).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this population of healthy sleepers, snoring is the most common finding. Moreover, non-bothersome forms of recognizable sleep-related movement disorders and parasomnias are surprisingly common. These findings may suggest that diagnostic criteria of sleep disorders should not only be based on the presence of symptoms but also account for a minimum frequency or discomfort.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: Birgit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Frauscher
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mitterling
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: Aleke
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bode
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ehrmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gabelia
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: Marlene
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Biermayr
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN.
authors.forename: Arthur Scott
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Walters
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: Werner
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Poewe
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: Birgit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Högl
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020447:Parasomnias / Q000453:epidemiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012723:Sex; D012890:Sleep; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012913:Snoring / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: elderly; gender; healthy sleeper; parasomnia; physiological sleep; questionnaire; sleep-related movement disorder