Risk factors for insomnia in community‐dwelling older persons

Background: Aging is associated with changes in both subjective sleep quality and objective sleep patterns. The objectives of this study were to clarify risk factors for sleeping habits and insomnia symptoms in the community‐dwelling older persons. Methods: Study subjects were 1270 (33.5%), of the 3786 community‐dwelling persons aged 65 and older who responded to questionnaires concerning sleep disorders between July and October 2001. Results: Out of 556 men (mean age 73 ± 6.6) and 714 women (75 ± 7.5), 416 persons (32.8%) experienced insomnia. Multiple regression analysis on insomnia showed that significantly independent explanatory variables included gender (female: odds ratio [OR], 1.94; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.39–2.71), activity status (OR, 1.54; 95% CI, 1.04–2.28), prescription medication (OR, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.25–2.20), presence of visual impairment (OR, 1.85; 95% CI, 1.42–2.42), presence of hearing impairment (OR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.12–1.95) and depressive symptoms (OR, 2.54; 95% CI, 1.93–3.34). Interaction between the activity status and the depressive symptoms ( F = 4.231, P = 0.040) was a significant independent explanatory variable with other risk factors. Conclusion: These results indicate that the aging process per se is not responsible for the increase of insomnia, which is often reported in elderly, but that inactivity, depressive symptoms, and use of prescription medication, visual impairment and hearing impairment were the best predictors of insomnia, the age being insignificant.