Effects of insomnia and sleep medication on health-related quality of life

Objective: This study, using Short-Form 8 (SF-8), was undertaken to assess the effects of insomnia and sleep medication use on quality of life (QOL) in 2822 people (ages 20-97 years) in a rural population. Factors associated with deterioration of the mental component summary (MCS) score and physical component summary (PCS) score were investigated. Methods: Questionnaires asked participants' basic information and included assessments using SF-8, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and a 12-item version of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale. Results of PSQI supported the classification of subjects as good sleepers, good sleepers using sleep medication, insomniacs, and insomniacs using sleep medication. Results: Insomnia was associated with low scores of MCS and PCS. Nevertheless, sleep medication use was associated with low PCS scores only. Good sleepers using sleep medication had significantly higher MCS scores than either insomniacs or insomniacs using sleep medication, but lower scores than good sleepers. Similarly to insomniacs using sleep medication, good sleepers using sleep medication had significantly lower PCS scores than either good sleepers or insomniacs. Conclusions: Sleep medication was useful to improve mental QOL. That usage, however, might degrade the physical QOL, possibly because of the medication's adverse effects. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.