Prevalence of insomnia for Canadians aged 6 to 79

Abstract

This study estimates the prevalence of nighttime insomnia symptoms among Canadians aged 6 to 79, and examines trends over time (2007 to 2015). The study is based on 21,826 respondents from the 2007-to-2015 Canadian Health Measures Survey, a nationally representative, cross-sectional survey. Nighttime insomnia symptoms and duration were self-reported. A 42% increase in nighttime insomnia symptoms was observed for adults aged 18 or older (from 16.8% to 23.8%). The majority of Canadians with insomnia symptoms reported having the symptoms for more than one year. This study also showed nighttime insomnia symptoms to be more prevalent in older age groups, women, those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, and individuals reporting poor health and quality of life. Efforts toward prevention and intervention strategies could reduce the burden of insomnia symptoms among Canadians.

Keywords: nighttime insomnia; population health; sleep; surveillance; trends.