Insomnia predicts future sick leave
Does insomnia predict sick leave? The Hordaland Health Study. Sivertsen B, Overland S, Bjorvatn B, Mæland J, Mykletun A. J Psychosom Res. 2009. 66(1): 67-74.
Aim
To see how symptoms of insomnia contribute to sick leave.
Looked at
The relationship between insomnia and sick leave over four years in 6,892 participants aged 40-45 years in Norway.
How?
Participants were asked about their social and demographic data, lifestyle factors, and BMI. They were also asked to report on their experiences of insomnia, sleep apnea symptoms, anxiety, depression, pain or any other long term health conditions. These data were compared against the number of days sick leave from official registry data.
Results
- People with insomnia, 5.1% of the population, had more than twice the risk (odds ratio of 2.20) of being off work compared with good sleepers.
- The odds increased when the sick leave was long term (defined as more than 90 days over 4 years follow up).
- Insomnia was found to significantly predict sick leave, even when taking into consideration other possible factors, such as suffering from a long term illness.
What does this mean?
People with insomnia are more likely to take sick leave than people who sleep well.