Introduction: Sleep disorders are among the clinical entities with a great health and socioeconomic impact. So far, in Spain there are isolated epidemiologic data, lacking from studies that cover the full spectrum of sleep disorders in the general adult population.
Methods: A sample of 1,500 adult subjects from Madrid were interviewed during the first semester of 1990, using a clinical questionnaire including sociodemographic data, habits, sleep disorders, and information regarding somatic and psychiatric pathology. A detailed analysis of the influence of sex, age and occupational status on the prevalence of the different disorders is presented.
Results: 1,131 persons (75.4%) completed the interview. 22.8% (95% confidence interval, CI: 20.4-25.4) referred at least one sleep difficulty, 11.3% (9.5-13.3) of the sample complained of insomnia, this being more common in women, older individuals and unemployed. Daytime sleepiness was reported by 11.6% (9.8-13.7) of the sample, and 3.2% (2.2-4.4) referred hypersomnia, with sleep attacks and sleep paralysis being rarely found. Regarding parasomnias, 12.3% (10.4-14.4) had nightmares, with the prevalence of sonambulism, night terrors and enuresis being near 1%. Daily snoring was present in 11.9% (10.1-14.0) of the sample, whereas 1.1% (0.6-2.0) reported respiratory pauses during the night.
Conclusions: A high prevalence of sleep disorders is estimated in the adult population of the city of Madrid, Spain. Our data are in general similar to those found in other countries, and differences found are discussed.