Profile of insomnia patients at St. Luke's Medical Center from year 1992-2001.

INTRODUCTION: Sleep is one of the basic needs of man. It allows our body to restore itself and give us energy to face the new day. The amount of sleep that people need varies tremendously. However the amount of sleep an individual needs is amazingly constant. The best indicator of a sufficient sleep is the quality and level of function during the day.

SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY: There have been several publications of insomnia but there appears to be no data available from the Philippine setting. It is the aim of this study to give a baseline profile of the patients who consulted St. Luke's Medical Center for their sleep problems in order to generate interest for future researches in the field of sleep disorders, particularly in the area of insomnia.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the profile of patients who present with insomnia at St. Luke's Medical Center from 1992 - July 2001

METHODS: The research is a descriptive retrospective study of the cases seen at the Comprehensive Sleep Disorders Center. Using the standard sleep questionnaire available at the center, with an initial evaluation by the sleep specialist and polysomnogram results, each insomnia case was reviewed.

RESULTS: Patient population from 1992 to July 2000 showed 50 percent insomnia of unknown cause; 28.9 percent diagnosed obstructive sleep apnea; 7.8 percent had insomnia with documented poor sleep efficiency. From August to July 2001 there were 31.25 percent who had Major Depression and 23.75 percent had Stress related sleep problems. Data showed the age range for male insomniacs was between 45-50 y/o and onset of sleep problems between 35-40 y/o. A 20-25 years lag time from onset of insomnia to the time of diagnosis was noted. Some of the reasons patients gave is that most do not realize severity of their problems; either they self medicate; or wait until their insomnia is manifested into physical complaints. There were more males than females by a ratio 1.3: 1. Sixty five percent of patients were married compared to 17.7 percent who were single. The most popular activities prior to sleeping were watching television and praying. Most patients had about 6-7 hours of sleep and woke up the next morning, complaining of lack of sleep. The most common daytime complaint is fatigue (71.1 percent) followed by excessive daytime sleepiness (65.5 percent); poor concentration at work and school (45.5 percent); difficulty with driving (33.3 percent) and vehicular accidents (10 percent). Further researches are needed to study the prevalence, causes, effects, associated risk factors, and appropriate management of insomnia in our country. (Author)