15% of Americans are Insomniacs

That’s about one in every 6 or 7 of us – quite a startling number. It comes from a presentation at the American Psychiatric Association meeting. The data came from 6,000-odd women aged 20 to 85 in the NHANES study, during 2004 to 2005.

At interview, 15% of the participants met the criteria for insomnia during the previous month; 27% of these subjects were tired in the morning, 20% reported frequent wakening during the night, 18% had daytime sleepiness, and 16% had difficulty in falling asleep.

Over half the total subjects (57%) reported sleeping 7 to 8 hours a night, 13% got less than 6 hours, and 8% slept more than 9 hours. A quarter of them had reported sleep issues to their doctor, and 9% had taken sleeping pills “often”. Women were more likely to complain than men, but the actual frequency of diagnosis of a sleep disorder was the same in men and women – 7%. Other factors that were more frequent in those reporting insomnia were obesity, living in poverty, drinking, smoking, and taking illegal drugs.

This survey gives an idea of the problem. The size of the afflicted group has probably enlarged since 2005, and almost certainly since the onset of the recession. This makes it imperative for family physicians to be aware of the magnitude of the problem, to ask the right questions of their patients, and be up-to-date with the best forms of therapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has had considerable success in recent studies.