Insomnia in Italy

During 2002 over 600 doctors and more than 11,000 patients participated in the widest-ranging study of insomnia ever made in Italy. The findings revealed that over 12 million Italians suffer from insomnia, says the newspaper La Stampa. Of those studied, 65 percent suffered from morning drowsiness and 80 percent from drowsiness sometime during the day, and 46 percent had difficulty concentrating at work. “Those who drive are at high risk, given that 22 percent of road accidents are caused by drowsiness,” says the paper. The study also showed that 67 percent of sufferers had never spoken to their doctor about the problem. Study coordinator, Mario Giovanni Terzano, said that “a good 20 percent of insomniacs suffer from primary insomnia, for which there is no apparent cause.” Yet, a medical examination may reveal a related physical problem. Other causes of insomnia, said Terzano, include anxiety (24 percent), stressful events (23 percent), and depression (6 percent).