We recently came across a press release from Global Industry Analysts, Inc which gave us some hard statistics on the prevalence of sleeping pills.
- 10-20% of the global population uses sleeping pills or tranquilizers to relieve insomnia and other sleep disorders.
- The US is the largest market for sleeping pills – accounting for more than 48% of consumption.
- In 2008, 57.25 million prescriptions for sleeping pills were issued in the US.
- The number of people aged 20-45 who take sleeping pills doubled during the period of 2000 and 2004.
- Non-benzodiazepines such as Ambien, Sonata, and Lunesta are the most prescribed sleeping pills.
The press release also states that the global market for sleeping pills is expected to reach US $9 billion by 2015.
Perhaps it’s no wonder that insomnia research is often lacking when unrelated to pharmacology.