Short-term insomnia and common cold: A cross-sectional study.

Background: The role of insomnia as a symptom of cold has not been fully explored. This study aimed to identify the nature of mild short-term insomnia (MSTI) as a symptom in common cold and examine the relationship between the diagnosis of common cold and MSTI.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at a clinic in Nagano, Japan. In this study, 32 participants were recruited as common cold patients, and 30 people without common cold were selected as the comparison group who did not have any symptoms of fever, cough, septum, rhinorrhea, or sore throat in this period.

Results: About 75% of patients in the common cold group (CCG; 24 of 32) and 33% of total patients in the not common cold group (NCCG; 10 of 30) showed MSTI. The prevalence of MSTI was significantly more frequent in patients in CC (χ = 10.854,  = 1,  < .001). MSTI occurred on an average of 1.0 day (SD = 1.4) before the common cold onset and continued for a mean of 2 days (SD = 1.6). The frequency of fever was related to age, but MSTI appeared regardless of age.

Conclusion: Mild short-term insomnia is a common symptom in common cold.