Incidence of and factors associated with new-onset insomnia among Lebanese hospitalised patients : a single-centre study

Abstract EN

Objectives : this study aimed to determine the incidence and post-discharge resolution of new-onset insomnia in hospitalised patients with no previous history of insomnia, as well as to define major correlates of in-hospital insomnia.

methods : this prospective observational study was conducted between November 2019 and January 2020 at a tertiary care centre in Lebanon.

all hospitalised patients >18 years of age with no history of insomnia were screened for new-onset insomnia using the Insomnia severity index (ISI) scale.

Subsequently, patients were re-assessed two weeks after discharge to determine insomnia resolution.

results : a total of 75 patients were included in the study.

of these, nine (12%) had no insomnia, 34 (45.3%) had subthreshold insomnia, 22 (29.3%) had moderate insomnia and 10 (13.3%) had severe insomnia.

the mean ISI score was 14.95 ± 6.05, with 88% of patients having ISI scores of >7 (95% confidence interval: 0.822–0.965).

the frequency of new-onset insomnia was significantly higher among patients who shared a room compared to those in single-bed rooms (95.7% versus 75%; P = 0.011).

other factors were not found to be associated with new-onset insomnia, including the administration of medications known to cause insomnia, in-hospital sedative use, overnight oxygen, cardiac monitoring and self-reported nocturnal toilet use.

overall, insomnia resolution occurred in 78.7% of patients two weeks after discharge.

conclusion : there was a high incidence of acute new-onset insomnia among hospitalised patients at a tertiary centre in Lebanon.

additional research is recommended to further examine inhospital sleep disturbance factors and to seek convenient solutions to limit insomnia.