Insomnia and Use of Hypnotics: Study of a French Population

Abstract

A cross-sectional study of insomnia and hypnotic use was performed in a sample of the French population. The quota method was used to select the sample of 1,003 subjects, with less than 3% substitution. Subjects were 15 years old and older and were representative of the French population based on gender, age, marital status and living environment. Subjects were asked questions relevant to the complaint of insomnia and hypnotic use and filled out questionnaires measuring anxiety and depression. The complaint of insomnia is common, even in the 15-24-year-old group. Overall, more women than men were afflicted. The largest group of insomniac subjects, and the group who most often used hypnotics "frequently and chronically", were women 45 years and older. Men presented a sharp increase in hypnotic use after 65 years of age. Ten percent of the entire sample used hypnotics, 8% for more than 6 months and 6.17% on a chronic and frequent basis. Retired and unemployed elderly were also chronic and frequent hypnotic users: aging and social isolation correlate with chronic and frequent hypnotic usage. Higher scores on anxiety and depression scales correlate with more frequent complaints of nocturnal sleep disturbances. Young individuals are a significant complainer group but use hypnotics rarely. A rural environment was associated, overall, with fewer insomnia complaints, but environment had much less impact on complaints and hypnotic use in the elderly than in other age groups. One may question whether, in the French population, hypnotic prescription and intake are not responses to a social rather than a medical problem.

Prevalence of insomnia in urban population of West Bengal: A community-based cross-sectional study

“…This observation corroborated with previous studies. [4,5] This implicate that the prevalence of insomnia in urban India is no less than the developed world. In this study, the prevalence of insomnia increases with age and was found statistically significant.…”

“…Studies around the world among general population showed that the prevalence of insomnia ranges between 10% and 48%. [4][5][6] Much of this variation of prevalence may be explained by the use of different definitions of insomnia in those studies. [3] Insomnia can have important consequences for sufferers and may affect health, work, and quality of life.…”

Work conditions and mental health among prison staff in France

“…Some studies of sleep disorders among working and general populations, such as the surveys of workers in small and medium-size businesses in the Paris area (33), of a general working population (34), and of the general French populatioil (35), have show11 that gender and age affect self-reported sleep disturbances. Jacquinet-Salord et a1 (33) and Butat et a1 (34) studied the eflects of certain factors in the work environment on sleep.…”

Hypnotics and mortality in an elderly general population: A 12-year prospective study

“…The current use of hypnotics in the general population is estimated to range between 3.5% and 11.7%, doubling in elderly populations [8][9][10][11]. Hypnotics may produce residual daytime sleepiness and impairment of psychomotor, attention and memory performances the day after bedtime administration, especially with the high dose and long half-life durations [12].…”