The study: These findings are based on a nationally representative Taiwanese survey on social trends that involved nearly 40,000 people aged 15 and older. Participants answered questions on their marital status, employment/occupation, educational attainment, and household income, as well as the number of family members under the age of 15. Insomnia was assessed using criteria developed by the World Health Organization and scored on a scale of 1 to 5.
The results: Insomnia tended to be more common among those who were older, divorced or separated, had low educational attainment, poor health, or low income. Children living at home also increased the rates of insomnia. These factors applied to both men and women, although the rate of insomnia among women was significantly higher. But women who were more highly educated had a far better ability to fall asleep quickly and then sleep through the night undisturbed, compared with women with less education. The opposite was true for men; those who attained a high level of education were less likely to sleep well at night. The researchers are not sure why!
Women who suffered the most insomnia were also divorced or separated, which the authors blame on the stress associated with being a single parent, as well as loss of income and the stigma of a marriage break-down. In addition, unemployment impacted women's sleep quality, especially married women.
The study findings were published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
