Association between Tinnitus and Sleep Disorders in the General Japanese Population

Abstract

Objectives: There are few studies about the association between tinnitus and sleep disorders in the general population worldwide. This study assessed this association in a Japanese community. Methods: A total of 14,027 participants 45 to 79 years of age who were in the Takayama Study responded to a self-administered questionnaire about tinnitus and sleep disorders. Results: Of this population, 13.3% of men and 10.6% of women had current tinnitus. The percentages of insomnia, respectively, among individuals with and without tinnitus were 28.1% in men and 36.1% in women and 18.8% in men and 21.5% in women. There were 1.7-fold (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.4 to 2.1) and 1.8-fold (95% CI, 1.5 to 2.2) increases in the odds ratios (ORs) of insomnia for those with tinnitus compared with those without tinnitus in men and women, respectively. Loud or very loud tinnitus was associated with 2.8-fold (95% CI, 1.8 to 4.3) and 3.3-fold (95% CI, 1.9 to 5.6) increases in the OR of insomnia in men and women, respectively. Even low (ie, quiet) or moderate tinnitus was significantly associated with insomnia. Difficulty initiating sleep, difficulty maintaining sleep, and a poor perceived quality of sleep were also significantly associated with tinnitus. Conclusions: Insomnia and other sleep disorders were significantly associated with tinnitus in Japanese adults.