Abstract:
Introduction. For each person, sleep is an essential part of normal life rhythm and well-being.
Spending roughly third part of life in this state, many people are underestimating its influence on
body’s functioning, mood and sharpness of mind. Especially clearly, sleep problems can be
observed among the urban population, affected by increasing rhythm of life and burden of
constant stress. Sleep disturbances are directly linked to human errors, accidents, material losses
and long-term effects on health. This study was designed to prove statistical significance of
sleep-related pathologies among the urban population of Moldova and deficiency of its
diagnostics and treatment.
Aim of the study. To determine sleep quality of urban population in Republic of Moldova
Materials and methods. The study consisted of an anonymous survey of urban citizens aged 18-
40 years old and included the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), a self-rated instrument that
evaluates sleep habits for last month. It consists of seven “component” scores: subjective sleep
quality, sleep duration, sleep latency, habitual sleep efficiency, use of sleeping medication, sleep
disturbances and daytime dysfunction. The sum of scores for these seven components yields one
global score.
Results. Study was completed by 359 people. Prevalence of bad sleepers, characterized by PSQI
score > 5, was reported by 181 respondents (50,2%). Medium PSQI score was 6,11. Medium
score for women was 6,28 and 5,89 for men. 5,67 for married respondents and 6,26 for not
married. Medium score for respondents, which’ve evaluated their income as “low” was 6,46,
5,97 for those who said “medium” and 4,33 for people who characterized their income as “high”.
Conclusions. Every second person is experiencing problems with sleep, which is more
significant, comparing it to data provided by other countries (30-40%). Also, it was confirmed
that men experience less sleep problems than women, married couples sleep better than
unmarried and that sleep quality increases with subjective satisfaction of financial status.
