Impact of self-reported sleep problems on capacity and performance in the Chilean population. A secondary-data analysis

Sleep problems such as sleep apnea and insomnia cause damage to the general health of individuals. Given its disabling potential, it is relevant to know the population prevalence of sleep problems and their impact on functioning. Data from a cross-sectional population study named II ENDISC – Encuesta Nacional de la Discapacidad, carried out in Chile, 2015 were analyzed. The sample is composed of 12,265 people over 17 years old, randomly selected and interviewed at home, using the Model Disability Survey (MDS). Data analyses adopted the generalized linear model (GLM) with logarithmic link and gamma distribution to determine the impact of self-reported sleep problems on capacity and performance, and adjustment variables were added to the model progressively. Self-reported sleep problems prevalence in Chile was 11.19%; variations were found according to region (4.93% to 14.79%), and were more frequent among women (13.69%); people aged 65 and over (16.78%); and decreased with the improvement of schooling and self-rated health status. A higher prevalence of self-reported sleep problems was associated with excessive alcohol consumption (18.82%); depression (36.30%); anxiety (32.40%); and respiratory diseases (20.85%). The findings capacity and performance averages were worse for people with self-reported sleep problems. The adjusted analyses showed coefficients of 1.33 (p < 0.0001) to capacity and of 1.20 (p < 0.0001) to the performance, revealing that the averages of capacity and performance were 33% and 20% worse among people with self-reported sleep problems, respectively. Due to the impact on individuals' self-reported capacity and performance, sleep problems configure a deterioration in the profile of population functioning.