Prevalence Of Insomnia

How common is insomnia? The National Institutes of Health (NIH) suggests 60 million Americans suffer chronic insomnia yearly. Insomnia is more common as people age or in the elderly, affecting more women than men. Often, insomnia is a symptom of another underlying health condition. Examples include:

• Sleep Apnea
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Psychosis

The Stanford University School of Medicine and Center for Narcolepsy, working with the Sleep Epidemiology Research Center, conducted a study of insomnia among the general population in Italy, reporting almost 28% of study participants report suffering insomnia and related sleep disorders.

Other studies suggest insomnia is just as common among the world at large. These studies use multiple deciding factors or measures to qualify patients as having insomnia. The normal factors include:

• People that have trouble falling asleep,
• Individuals who are not able to stay asleep,
• Participants that wake too early in the morning,
• Individuals reporting non restorative sleep or those reporting fatigue following sleep.

There are also studies exploring reports of those who feel they have insomnia related to other common sleep disorders. For more information about sleep disorders, See Sleep Disorders Information

Insomnia Facts & Figures

If you do find you have trouble sleeping or problems staying asleep, you are not alone. Here are some common facts & figures related to insomnia.

• Excessive worry and depression are among the most common causes for insomnia including primary insomnia.
• People with insomnia are more likely to become a victim of a motorcycle or work accident.
• 40 million Americans suffer chronic insomnia or related sleep disorders yearly.
• 20 million people suffer occasional bouts of insomnia they do not seek treatment for.
Sleep disorders including insomnia result in more than $16 billion dollars in medical expenses annually.

There are over 70 different sleep disorders. If you think you may have insomnia or a related sleep disorder, be sure you visit your doctor for a complete physical. Most sleep disorders are managed effectively with proper care and medical treatments or therapy.