Use of prescription sleep aids was more than five times higher in those who reported a physician’s diagnosis of a sleep disorder, compared with those who did not have such a diagnosis, the National Center for Health Statistics reported.
In 2005-2010, sleep-aid use in the past 30 days was reported by 16.3% of adults who had a diagnosed sleep disorder, compared with 3.1% of those who did not have a sleep disorder, according to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
Past 30-day use of sleep aids was 12.7% among those who had told a physician that they had trouble sleeping and 1.1% for those who did not report any trouble sleeping, according to the report.
The sleep aids covered in the report included all hypnotic drugs and four antidepressant or sedative medications commonly prescribed for insomnia or depression: amitriptyline, doxepin, mirtazapine, and trazodone.
