Daily consequences of insomnia: impact on quality of life

Insomnia is not only a disease of sleep, it has also daily consequences: fa tigue, irritability, impaired daytime functioning. These complaints are reg ent reported by the patients, however the objective tests assessing alertne ss in insomnia are usually not impaired when compared with good sleepers. We wanted to appreciate more accurately the daily consequences of insomnia, In terms of quality of life. 240 severe insomniacs (according to the DSM-I V criterias) and 391 good sleepers received a questionnaire on quality of l ife items. Depressed and anxious patients were excluded from this group. Th e questionnaire was built by a multidisciplinary group, based on insomniac' s interviews. It was primarily tested in a small sample and then proposed i n the entire group. Insomniac's quality of life appeared to be significantly impaired in compar ison with good sleepers. They experienced more fatigue and more sleepiness during the daytime. They reported more attention disorders and memory compl aints. They seemed to be more irritable and sensitive to the environment. A t work they made more mistakes and had more sic leave. They also had poorer relationships with relatives and family than good sleepers.