Taiwan Today

Twenty-two percent of Taiwanese suffer from chronic insomnia, according to the 2009 Sleep Study Report released Dec. 3. The poor economy, the high unemployment rate, job insecurity and insufficient incomes have all contributed to the rise of sleeplessness, experts said. Starting in 2000, the Taiwan Society of Sleep Medicine has conducted sleep surveys on the nation’s population every three years. An analysis of the last three surveys shows that the quality of sleep has been steadily declining. In the latest survey, only 63 percent of respondents said they are satisfied with the quality of their sleep, the highest rate of dissatisfaction recorded by the survey thus far. In 2000, by contrast, 89 percent were satisfied. Compared with three years ago, twice as many people now suffer from chronic insomnia, the report also found. The report shows that roughly sixty percent of the population has experienced insomnia at one time or another, said Hang Liang-wen, director of TSSM and also chief of the Sleep Center of the China Medical University Hospital. Among this sixty-percent group, Hang noted, 38.4 percent said they “could not fall asleep easily,” 35.7 percent said they “woke up earlier than planned,” while 23.4 said they “could not fall asleep again easily after waking up in the middle of the night.” If someone experiences any of the three-above symptoms more than three times a week, or needs sleeping pills to fall asleep more than three times a week; and if such a situation persists for more than a month, then that person meets the criteria for chronic insomnia, said Hang. At 21.4 percent, more women are chronic insomniacs than men at 19.5 percent. Broken down according to age, roughly twenty percent of the 20 to 49 age group are chronic insomniacs. The rate increases markedly for those above 50. The above-70 age group is most plagued by the condition, with more than 30 percent of them suffering from chronic insomnia. The report also found a close correlation between sleeplessness and chronic diseases, in particular with heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. The medicines required to treat these three illnesses interact with chronic insomnia, said Lee Hsin-chien, chief of the Department of Psychiatry at the Taipei Medical University Shuang-Ho Hospital. As blood pressure rises and heart rates increase, it becomes more difficult to fall asleep; but chronic insomnia can also worsen the original conditions. The chronic illnesses should be managed first, said Lee, before pills are taken for insomnia. Sleeping pills should not be looked upon as a panacea, Lee said. (HZW)