Abstract Mkid 79

The prevalence and evolution of insomnia during 5-year follow-up was studied in a randomly selected middle-aged population in Finland. In the original study a structured sleep questionnaire was completed by 1190 subjects (549 men and 641 women) and a 5-year follow-up questionnaire was returned by 626 (264 men and 362 women). Insomnia symptoms (at least 1-2 x/wk) during past three months were reported by 9.1% of men and 9.7% of women in the first survey, while the mean age of the subjects was 43.7 years. Mild insomnia symptoms (1-2 x/wk) was reported by 6.4% and severe (3-7x/wk) by 3.1% of subjects. Insomnia was a daily problem to 0.5% of men and 1.3% of women. Five years later the prevalence of insomnia had increased especially among women in menopausal age. The highest percentages of insomnia were found among 51-year-old and 55-year-old women: 19.8% and 27.4%, respectively. Insomnia had been a long-term problem (reported in both surveys) for 5.4% of subjects, the 5-year persistence of the symptom was 57.6%. Insomnia was associated with subjective sleepiness and fatigue, but not with increased frequences of sleepiness-related traffic accidents. Insomniacs felt more often depression and regarded themselves nervous and tense; they were also more often unsatisfied with their quality of life. At the time of the follow-up survey when the oldest age-group was 55 years, the insomniacs were less often employed than the others: men with weekly insomnia were more often retired than others, whereas female insomniacs were more often unemployed.