VIDEO: Insomnia may be linked to more frequent, longer episodes of influenza-like illness

INDIANAPOLIS — Insomnia may be significantly associated with more and lengthier influenza-like illness episodes per year, Gary Garcia-Molina, PhD, senior principal scientist at Sleep Number Corp., explains in this video at SLEEP 2023.

Garcia-Molina and colleagues conducted a study among Sleep Number customers between November 2021 and April 2022 to assess long-term insomnia and its potential link to influenza-like illness vulnerability. Participants were asked to complete four surveys, which determined self-reported insomnia via Insomnia Severity Index scores, at 6-week intervals.

More than 3,100 individuals responded to at least three surveys and were included in analysis. Researchers also collected data on daily and restful sleep duration, sleep latency and quality, heart and breathing rates and motion level for 2019 (pre-COVID) and 2021 to assess probability of experiencing influenza-like illness symptoms.

“What we found was that the presence of insomnia-like disorders makes us vulnerable to influenza-like illnesses,” Garcia-Molina said.