For one in seven Canadians, the sandman's nightly visits are few and far between, according to a new Statistics Canada study.
According to the report, released Wednesday, about 3.3 million Canadians aged 15 have trouble falling or staying asleep, suggesting that they suffer from insomnia.
About one-fifth of those people average fewer than five hours of sleep a night. By comparison, only 2 per cent of those who do not have insomnia reported spending less than five hours a night in dreamland.
The findings were based on data from the agency's 2002 Canadian Community Health Survey. Statscan said respondents were asked how often had trouble going to or staying asleep. Those who answered either “most of the time” or “all of the time” were considered insomniacs for the purposes of the study.
“Life stress was a common factor in insomnia,” Statscan said, noting that about one-quarter of people who said their daily lives were “quite a bit” or “extremely” stressful also exhibited symptoms of insomnia.
“This was twice the proportion among people who reported little or no life stress,” the government agency said.
Work stress, however, appeared to have little relationship with sleep problems. According to the findings, 17 per cent of employed people who said their work days were stress also reported bouts of insomnia. But, when other factors – such as chronic pain and obesity – were taken into account the relationship disappeared.
The report did find a link between an person's work schedule, finding that “the odds that shift workers would report insomnia were high compared with other workers.”
Statscan also said that its findings echoed earlier research, which suggested a correlation between not only insomnia and stress but also between the disorder and chronic pain conditions, like arthritis.
The study also found a connection between sleep problems and less obvious factors.
“For example, when physical and mental health, lifestyle and socio-economic factors were taken into account, the study showed that middle-aged people – ages 45 to 64 – had high odds of suffering from insomnia, as did people who were widowed and people with low education,” Statscan said.
“Weight was also a factor. High proportions of people who were obese suffered from insomnia. And the heavier they were, the more likely they were to have trouble sleeping.”
Statscan said, when chronic conditions and other variables were taken into account, people who were extremely obese – those with a body mass index of 35 or more – had greater odds of reporting insomnia than those considered within the normal BMI range of 18.5 to 24.9.
The link, the agency said, may be a by-product of sleep apnea, which is often related to obesity.
The prevalence of insomnia also rose as the study group aged. About 10 per cent of people between the ages of 15 and 24 reported insomnia. By comparison, about 20 per cent of those aged 75 and older reported suffering from the problem.
Heavy weekly drinking and frequent cannabis use were also linked to insomnia.
In Pictures:
