PND53 Patient Reported Sleep Problems in the UK

Abstract

To assess the frequency, severity, use of hypnotics and impact of sleep problems in the community in the UK. Questionnaires were inserted in a national newspaper and patients with sleep problems requested to complete them and return by post. Two thousand and eighty-two questionnaires were returned. Within the questionnaires returned not all of the questions were answered with some questions being more frequently completed than others. We report the outcome for individually completed questions. Sixty-four percent of respondents were female, 92% aged forty or over and 57% over 60; 94% of patients reported insomnia for more than a year. Seventy-seven percent described sleep as bad or very bad. 64% complained of feeling tired after rising and starting the next day. Only 3% thought they got off to sleep in less than 20 minutes with 55% reporting taking greater than 1 hour to get to sleep. A total of 86% visited the doctor less than 4 times per year but apparently did not complain of insomnia; 44% reported having received hypnotics from the doctor in the past but only 2% currently taking them. Seven percent of patients attributed their sleep problems to pain; 42% of patients get up regularly to use the bathroom but in general did not attribute their sleep problems to this reason. In contrast 40% of respondents felt that their problems were purely age-related. Insomnia is a common, longstanding, serious problem which afflicts and impacts upon older rather than younger people. While most respondents had received hypnotics in the past they were not currently taking them despite continuing to suffer from insomnia. There appears a common acceptance that sleep problems are simply a function of ageing. This study demonstrates the need for patient education and for physicians to address the problem of insomnia in older age.