We are all about a great night’s rest. Though we are acutely aware that for thirty one % of the public, insomnia prevents all of this too often.
But just how large a deal can it be? We delve into insomnia data to discover just how much of an issue this situation is really.
Important Findings in Summary
In a nutshell, here is what we found:
Twenty two % of individuals in the UK struggle to drift off each night
A further fifteen % struggle to drift off once a week
Monthly NHS prescriptions for Melatonin rose by 148 % from June 2014 to May 2019
In May 2019, the NHS issued 87,990 prescriptions for Melatonin at a price on the NHS of £2.6 million
In exactly the same month, it issued 438,399 prescriptions for Zopiclone, costing £292,354.
Just how Many individuals Have Trouble Falling Asleep?
Many of us have most likely experienced the odd hard night’s sleep. But for several people, difficulty sleeping is the typical issue.
To figure out what the statistics are like in 2019 for this, we surveyed 500 individuals in the UK (using Google Surveys). We asked them the next question:
How frequently do you’ve difficulty falling asleep?
It appears it is a huge problem:
Twenty two % of anyone in the UK claim they’ve difficulty falling asleep each night
A further fifteen % have difficulty falling asleep once a week
Just forty % say they won’t ever have issues falling asleep
You will find differences in responses from women and men as well.
27.5 % of females have difficulty falling asleep each night
This number declines to 18.5 % of males
Likewise, the statistics show various age groups are differently affected:
30.2 % of all those aged fifty five to sixty four have difficulty dropping off to sleep every night
A further 20.5 % of this particular age group have difficulty dropping off to sleep once every week, ultimately which means particularly over half of this particular age group struggles to drift off on a routine basis
At another end of the machine, just sixteen % of thirty five – forty four year olds experiences nightly problems falling asleep
Insomnia Medication Prescription Statistics
Survey data is not the sole indicator of how prevalent sleeping troubles and
Usefully, the NHS publishes prescribed information every month. This information relates to prescriptions given by community medical related centres as GP surgeries (as opposed to hospitals) in England just. It is also well worth noting that one prescription merchandise is able to differ regarding volume of drugs (which may explain why often much more prescriptions cost less).
We have analysed several of these big files to check out stats for only several of the most medicines most often prescribed to treat insomnia:
Melatonin
Zopiclone
Chloral Betaine
Temazepam
Diphenhydramine Hydrochloride