Insomnia Statistics: Alarming Facts That Every Sufferer Should Know

Knowing that insomnia is a common sleep disorder is not enough for someone who simply cannot get a good nights’ sleep.

There are insomnia statistics that reveal much more – and when you go through them, it can shed more light on your own condition. Through these alarming yet informative insomnia statistics you’ll know why you or your love one is suffering one of the most distressing conditions in life.

Here are some important and revealing insomnia statistics pertaining to Americans:

Insomnia statistics (General):

  • 10 to 20% people in the U.S. suffer from insomnia.
  • Only 35% of Americans sleep 8 hours or more per night in an average work week.
  • Elderly people are usually on prescription drugs many of which have insomnia as a side effect.
  • Elderly people are also prone to depression, anxiety and grief all of which contribute to insomnia.
  • According to the National Institutes of Health, around 60 million Americans experience chronic insomnia.
  • According to the National Sleep Foundation’s 2009 Sleep in America poll, the odds an adult have difficulty falling asleep at least a few nights a week is 1 in 3.45. And 1 in 6.25 adults have difficulty falling asleep every night or almost every night.
  • About 35% of people with insomnia have a family history of insomnia, with the mother being the most commonly affected family member
  • Insomnia statistics reveal that in spite of this widespread problem, only about 30% of American adults ever discuss sleep problems with their doctors. Doctors also rarely to ask patients about their sleep habits or problems.
  • 20 to 40% of all adults encounter insomnia problems during a year time.
  • 60% of Americans have admitted to have driven even they were sleepy and almost 37% of them actually fallen asleep while driving, according to a National Sleep Foundation Poll in 2008.
  • More than 70 million Americans suffer from various sleeping disorders insomnia being one of them.
  • Approx 90% of those who suffer from depression also experience insomnia.
  • America is No. 1 country in the world for insomnia followed by Germany and the UK.
  • 85% of insomniacs state that they had various other health problems that had their roots in insomnia.
  • According to hospital insomnia statistics, more than 90% of people seeking medical treatment for their insomnia are hospitalized.
  • The hospitalization period for insomnia is about 7 days.
  • More than 10 million Americans use prescriptions sleeping medication to sleep.
  • 27% of insomniacs are overweight.
  • The American industry loses approximately $150 billion due to workers that have insomnia, that miss work or that do not work their maximum productivity.

Insomnia statistics for Men

  • One study reveals that men, as they go from age 16 to 50, they lose about 80% of their deep sleep. After 44 years of age, REM and total sleep reduce and wakefulness increase.

Insomnia Statistics for Women

  • Women suffer more from insomnia than men. However effective sleep worsens with age for both men and women.
  • Temporary sleeplessness may occur because of menstruation, premenstrual syndrome, pregnancy, and menopause. Such types of insomnia usually get cured with time and improved sleep hygiene.

Insomnia Statistics for Children

  • 60% children, especially teenagers report of being tired during the day.
  • More than 2 million children suffer from various sleep disorders.
  • Only 30 to 40% of children can actually get the required 9-10 hours of sleep every night.

When you study insomnia statistics, you have to keep one curious fact in mind: some people overestimate the time it takes for them to doze off to sleep. For example, some who actually falls asleep within 20 minutes of hitting the pillow may thing that it took him or her more than an hour. This kind of paradoxical interpretation may render insomnia statistics unreliable. To get an accurate estimate, you need a lab test to gauge how long it takes for you to go to sleep.

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