Insomnia Symptoms and Well-Being: Longitudinal Follow-Up

Objective: Most Americans have occasional problems with symptoms of insomnia. Insomnia symptoms have been linked to psychological distress, but few studies have examined the relationship between insomnia symptoms and well-being. The purpose of the present study was to assess the relationship between insomnia symptoms reported in a 10-year longitudinal study and the dimensions of subjective well-being and eudaimonic well-being, adjusting for the potential confounds of age, gender, and comorbid physical illness. Method: The data for the present study came from the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States. Participants were 4,014 community dwelling adults (M age = 56.27 years, SD = 12.4; 55.4% female; 91.6% White). Results: After adjusting for demographic characteristics and a wide range of chronic physical health conditions, we found that insomnia symptoms had a significant relationship with both subjective and eudaimonic well-being. Furthermore, the report of insomnia symptoms at 2 time points 10 years apart was found to have an additional impact on subjective and eudaimonic well-being. Conclusions: Results of this study suggest that insomnia symptoms have a strong relationship to individuals enjoying life and perceiving that one has a meaningful life. In addition, these data suggest that the experience of recurrent insomnia symptoms at 2 time points is particularly detrimental to one's well-being.