To demonstrate patients’ strategies for insomnia, prevalence of sleep medication usage, and to determine factors associated with daytime function.

Subjects who were aged>60 years and who attended the internal medicine outpatient clinic of Srinagarind Hospital, Thailand were randomly interviewed from March 2012 to August 2013. Information on baseline characteristics and sleep variables were collected. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze baseline data, univariate and multiple logistic regression were used to analyze associated factors on poorly perceived impacts on daily life.

One hundred participants were recruited. The majority of them were female (74%). Self-help technique was used by 45%. The prevalence of sleep medication use was 45% without gender differences (P=0.66). Using multiple logistic analysis, only 3 factors: diabetes with an adjusted odds ratio (OR) 5.40, being female (adjusted OR 0.28), and non-pharmacological management (adjusted OR 0.23) were independent factors of poorly perceived impacts on daily life.

Frequent use of sleep medication and self-help strategy among older adults with chronic medical illnesses with insomnia was high. Diabetes and male sex were risk factors of poorly perceived impacts on daily life while self-help strategy with non-pharmacological use was a protective factor.