Geographical Distribution of Insomniac Patients in Western Iran

Background: Sleep disorders are among important challenges for health policymakers due to its high prevalence and very high economic burden. Effect of air and noise pollutions on sleep quality and disorders has been proposed. Objectives: In the present study, the geographical distribution of people diagnosed as insomnia in Sleep Disorders Research Centers (SDRC) in the western Iran was investigated. Methods: All patients with primary insomnia who diagnosed by polysomnography (PSG) in SDRC between 2011 to 2019 were recruited. The postal addresses of participants specified by a geographical coordinate represented longitude, latitude, and vertical position. These geographical coordinates converted to Geographic Information System (GIS) and addresses were located on the map. Then participants were divided into noisy and quiet environment groups based on their distance from highways, boulevards, and streets. Subjective and objective sleep characteristics were compared between these two groups by independent sample t-test or U Mann Whitney test using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version.22. Results: Of 78 participants, 47 were from Kermanshah city, 19 were from counties of Kermanshah province, and 14 participants were from Kurdistan, Ilam, Hamedan, Lorestan, Khuzestan and Tehran provinces. The location of all participants was presented on GIS maps. Result didn’t indicate any significant differences in sleep characteristics between the two noisy and quiet environment groups. Conclusions: Most insomniac patients investigated in the SDRC come from Kermanshah city. Patient with insomnia may reach a level of the pathophysiological condition in sleep-wake regulation systems that lead to problematic sleep characteristics independently from environmental noise.