Sleepless in Brazil

A new study shows that Americans aren’t the only people who have sleep problems. The study surveyed Brazilian adults about their sleep complaints. The results were published last week in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.

The study involved a random sample of 2,110 adults from 150 cities in Brazil. Surveys were conducted during face-to-face interviews.

Results show that 63 percent of people had at least one sleep complaint. Sleep problems significantly increased with age. Insomnia and nightmares were more common in women; snoring was more common in men.

Insomnia was the most common complaint overall; it was reported by 33 percent of people. Twenty-nine percent of people reported having a problem with snoring.

Nightmares were reported by 22 percent of people. Twelve percent reported having a problem with “kicking legs.” This could be a sign of either restless legs syndrome or periodic limb movements.

Six percent of people complained of “breathing pauses” during sleep. This is a sign of obstructive sleep apnea.

The authors estimate that more than 79 million people in Brazil have sleep disorder complaints.

Image by Kaysha