Sleep Aids & Sleep Problems
For the past decade, sleep surveys have been conducted among adults showing astonishingly high rates of sleep complaints in the American population. Roughly 2 out of every 3 individuals described some type of sleep issue, including difficulties falling or staying asleep, not enough sleep, and poor quality sleep.
Just recently, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine reported on a survey looking at how often adults use sleep aids to address these sleep complaints. Again, the numbers came out to 2 out of 3 individuals using a drug or other agent.
The key numbers were: “…23% use prescription medications, 27% use melatonin and 20% use marijuana or CBD (cannabidiol). About 37% said their use of sleep aids had increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Sleep health and sleep industries are increasingly publicized in the media, which relative speaking is a good thing. The large, unanswered question though is “how of many folks could solve their sleep problems without using a sleep aid?”
My new book, Life Saving Sleep, likely coming out in late summer/early fall, addresses this specific question with several evidence-based perspectives and solutions.
Happy Fourth of July!