Self-reported insomnia symptoms are associated with urinary incontinence among older Indian adults: evidence from the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI)

Background Insomnia and urinary incontinence (UI) are both diseases burdening older adults. However, the association between them has not been well elucidated. The purpose of this study is to assess the correlation between insomnia symptoms and UI in a large community‐dwelling sample of older Indian adults. Methods Data were from Wave 1 (2017–2018) of the Longitudinal Ageing Study of India (LASI). Male and female participants aged ≥ 60 years who provided complete information on insomnia symptoms, UI, stress UI (SUI), and covariates were included. Insomnia symptoms were identified by a report of: trouble falling asleep, waking up at night, or waking too early, ≥ 5 times/week. UI was defined by self-reported diagnosis. SUI was identified by self-report of involuntary urine leakage when sneezing, coughing, laughing, or lifting weights. Multivariable logistic regression analyses evaluated the associations between insomnia symptoms and UI and SUI. Stratified linear regression evaluated for interactions in prespecified subgroups. Results Twenty-six thousand eight hundred twenty-one LASI participants met entry criteria. 2979 (11.11%) reported insomnia symptoms, 976 (3.64%) UI, and 2726 (10.16%) SUI. After full adjustment, insomnia symptoms were associated with both UI and SUI among males (OR 1.53; 95%CI 1.20–1.96 and OR 1.51; 95%CI 1.25–1.83) and females (OR 1.53; 95% CI 1.21–1.92 and OR 1.50; 95% CI 1.31–1.73). A significant interaction effect by age was observed between insomnia symptoms and SUI among both males ( p = 0.048) and females ( p = 0.042). Conclusions Insomnia symptoms were associated with UI and with SUI in both male and female older Indian adults. Further prospective study is called for to better characterize these associations and to explore underlying mechanisms.