Statistics on insomnia & sleep disorders

If you're experiencing sleeping disorders, you're not alone. About half of Americans (48%) report lying awake at night due to stress. (Source: American Psychological Association study, 2007).

Getting a decent night's sleep shouldn't be such a crapshoot. But for the estimated 30% of American adults who suffer from at least occasional insomnia, nightfall is no guarantee of slumber.

To combat wakefulness, Americans filled more than 50 million prescriptions in 2008 for sleeping pills like Ambien and spent more than $600 million on over-the-counter sleep-inducing supplements such as melatonin and valerian root.

But despite our best efforts, about 10% of Americans still suffer from persistent insomnia (defined as difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep) — namely, falling asleep or being functionally impaired by sleepiness during the day — and researchers continue to search for its causes and cure.

Time June 1, 2009

See also:

- Dealing with insomnia

- Proactive counseling