CDC Analyzes Sleep Medication Usage by Adults in the United States

A recent National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) analysis determined that 18.4% of adults in the United States took a sleep medication to fall or stay asleep in the past 30 days. The study collected data in 2020 to make conclusions about adults’ general use of sleep medication across the US. Additionally, the researchers looked at usage and differences across different socio-demographic characteristics.

According to the article, sleep medications treat insomnia and other sleep-related conditions. Sufficient and quality sleep is critical for physical and mental health. Insufficient sleep is correlated with many conditions, including but not limited to heart disease, diabetes, obesity, multiple sclerosis, depression, and more. Despite many varying theories surrounding sleep, the consensus by healthcare professionals is that sleep is a vital health factor.

With this understanding, analyzing sleep patterns and the need for sleep medications can provide insight into general health trends. According to the study, roughly 6.3% of adults had to use sleep medication every night to fall or stay asleep. An additional 2.1% had to take medication most days. Finally, 10% of adults reported taking medications some days for sleep.

Across all age brackets, men were less likely to take sleep medication than women. Approximately 10.2% of women reported using sleep medication compared to 6.6% of men. Across these two groups, medication use also increased with age, implying more difficulty sleeping in older populations.

Additionally, the data showed that non-Hispanic White adults were the most likely to report using a medical sleep aid at 10.4%. Non-Hispanic Black adults were slightly less likely than White adults to use a sleep medication at 6.1%. Asian populations were the least likely to use a sleep aid at 2.8%. Even within different ethnic groups, women are statistically more likely to utilize sleep medications.

Finally, the researchers analyzed the utilization of sleep aids by socioeconomic status. Overall, adults with an income less than 100% of the federal poverty level (FPL) were the most likely to use sleep medications, amounting to 10% of that group. Additionally, only 8.2% of those with an income 200% or more of the FPL use sleep medications.

This data provides insight into the number of people who struggle with getting quality or sufficient sleep in the US. However, additional research must be conducted on the effects of sleep medication usage.