# Short poor quality sleep is common among adults



## David Baxter PhD (Sep 20, 2017)

*Poor quality, short sleep 'prevalent' among adults, StatsCan says*
_CBC News_
September 20, 2017

More than half of adults in Canada say their shuteye is fitful at  times, according to a Statistics Canada report released Wednesday.

  The federal agency's Health Reports  on duration and quality of sleep focuses on people 18 to 79 years old  during a six-year period. It provides recent estimates of the duration  and quality of sleep, and the percentage of Canadians surveyed who  adhere to these sleep guidelines:



7 to 9 hours per night at 18 to 64. 
7 to 8 hours per night at 65 or older. 

  Between the 2007 to 2013 study period, Canadians 18 to 64 averaged 7.12 hours of sleep per night.

  "Short sleep duration and poor sleep quality are prevalent among  Canadian adults. About one-third sleep fewer hours per night than  recommended for optimal physical and mental health.

  "This group also experiences poor sleep quality more frequently than  do those who sleep the recommended number of hours," the report's  authors concluded. 

  The results suggested 43 per cent of men and 55 per cent of women in  the 18 to 64 age group reported trouble going to sleep or staying asleep  "sometimes/most of the time/all of the time." 

  Lack of sleep (both duration and quality) are associated with  obesity, Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, injuries, death from  all causes, depression, irritability and reduced well-being, the  researchers said. 

  Prof. Colleen Carney is a professor at Ryerson University in Toronto,  where she directs the sleep and depression laboratory. To Carney, the  insomnia findings stand out, given its association with mental health  conditions, damage to quality of life, lost productivity and cost.

  The frontline treatment for insomnia is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy  (CBT), a brief therapy that provides tailored advice for when and how  long to be in bed, and challenges preoccupation and anxiety about sleep  loss, she said.

  CBT for insomnia is provided in person, through self-help books and on the internet.

  "Our research suggests patients aren't getting access to this  treatment and instead get poor advice such as sleep hygiene, a treatment  that is not effective for chronic insomnia," said Carney, who was not  involved in the Statistics Canada report.

  In an email, Carney expressed concern about how 45 per cent of Canadians consider their sleep unrefreshing.

  "The stat that one-third experience daytime sleepiness is a public  health concern. Sleepiness can be associated with motor vehicle  accidents and poor academic or work performance, and it is associated  with negative health outcomes. Daytime sleepiness can relate to poor  sleep habits but it can also relate to an untreated,or poorly treated  sleep disorder."

  Between the 2007 to 2013 study period, Canadians 18 to 64 averaged 7.12 hours of sleep per night.

  About two-thirds reported the recommended seven to nine hours, and  the other third reported less than 7 hours, with sleeping more than  nine hours cited as being rare.


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