Gender differences in the relationship between alcohol consumption and insomnia in the northern Chinese population

BACKGROUND: Insomnia is one of the main symptoms of sleep disorders. Previous studies have suggested that alcohol intake is associated with several adverse health outcomes. The association between alcohol consumption and insomnia has been addressed in several studies with different results. However, whether gender may modify the association between alcohol consumption and insomnia is not clear. This study will focus on gender differences in the relationship between alcohol consumption and insomnia. METHODS: The final study includes 8081 subjects aged between 18 and 65 years from the Jidong cohort. The data on alcohol consumption is collected by questionnaires, and insomnia problems are assessed using the entire 8-item Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS-8). Logistic analysis is used to evaluate the association between alcohol consumption and insomnia. RESULTS: Among the 8081 participants in this study, 2618 (32.4%) are alcohol drinkers, including 2424 males and 194 females. The prevalence of insomnia is 9.6% in the male and 10.6% in the female. The adjusted odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence interval (CI) of mild-to-moderate drinkers and heavy drinkers for insomnia are 1.27 (1.02–1.58) and 1.02 (0.79–1.32), respectively. Heavy alcohol consumption is significantly correlated with insomnia in the female, after controlling for potential confounding factors (OR: 2.11, 95% CI: 1.28–3.49, p for interaction = 0.002). CONCLUSION: A significant association between alcohol consumption and insomnia is found in females, but not in males from the northern Chinese population.