Sleep medication statistics vary substantially by definition: some surveys include prescription and over-the-counter products, while others measure prescription aids, broader insomnia medication use or claims. The figures below describe U.S. populations and clearly identify the measurement period, population and method.
Key Sleep Medication Statistics
The following highlights summarize the most broadly useful figures:
- In 2020, 8.4% of U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized adults aged 18 and over took sleep medication every day or most days in the previous 30 days to help fall or stay asleep.
- In 2020, 6.3% of U.S. adults aged 18 and over took sleep medication every day during the previous 30 days.
- In 2020, 11.9% of U.S. adults aged 65 and over took sleep medication every day or most days during the previous 30 days.
- In 2020, 13.5% of U.S. women aged 65 and over took sleep medication every day or most days during the previous 30 days.
- In 2020, 10.4% of non-Hispanic White U.S. adults aged 18 and over took sleep medication every day or most days during the previous 30 days.
- In 2020, 2.8% of non-Hispanic Asian U.S. adults aged 18 and over took sleep medication every day or most days during the previous 30 days.
- In 2020, 10.0% of U.S. adults below 100% of the federal poverty level used sleep medication during the defined period.
- In 2005–2010, about 4% of U.S. adults aged 20 and over used a prescription sleep aid in the past 30 days.
- In 2005–2010, women’s prescription sleep-aid use was 5.0%, compared with 3.1% among men in the United States.
- In 2005–2010, more than 16% of U.S. adults with a physician-diagnosed sleep disorder reported prescription sleep-aid use in the past 30 days.
- In 2005–2010, 6.0% of U.S. adults sleeping five or fewer hours per night used a prescription sleep aid in the past 30 days.
- In 2005–2010, 3.2% of U.S. adults sleeping seven hours per night used a prescription sleep aid in the past 30 days.
- In 2005–2006, commonly used medication for insomnia affected 13.3% of U.S. women aged 20 and over.
- In 2013–2014, commonly used medication for insomnia peaked at 15.2% among U.S. men aged 20 and over.
- Among Medicare beneficiaries in the study sample, annual insomnia-diagnosis prevalence rose from 3.9% in 2006 to 6.2% in 2013.
- Among Medicare beneficiaries in the study sample, annual prevalence of any insomnia-medication use ranged from 21.0% in 2006 to 29.6% in 2013.
- Among Medicare beneficiaries in the study sample, annual prevalence of both an insomnia diagnosis and insomnia medication use ranged from 3.5% in 2006 to 5.5% in 2013.
Contents
- Overall sleep medication use and frequency
- Sleep medication statistics by age and sex
- Race, ethnicity and income data
- Prescription sleep aids, sleep duration and symptoms
- Sleep medication trends and drug classes
- Older Medicare beneficiary statistics
Overall Sleep Medication Use and Frequency
The CDC’s 2020 National Health Interview Survey measured whether adults had taken medication to help fall or stay asleep during the previous 30 days. This measure includes prescribed and over-the-counter medication and is therefore broader than prescription-only estimates.
| 2020 frequency category | U.S. adults aged 18+ |
|---|---|
| Every day | 6.3% |
| Most days | 2.1% |
| Some days | 10.0% |
| Never | 81.6% |
The 8.4% every-day-or-most-days figure is the combined measure, while 10.0% is a separate some-days category. The estimates are self-reported and describe the civilian noninstitutionalized population; 2020 data collection was disrupted by COVID-19, including telephone-only interviews from April through June. CDC/NCHS, Sleep Medication Use in Adults Aged 18 and Over: United States, 2020
Earlier prescription-only data provide a different baseline. In 2005–2010, about 4% of U.S. adults aged 20 and over used a prescription sleep aid in the past 30 days, with prescription sleep aids defined to include hypnotics and four commonly prescribed sedating antidepressant or sedative medications.
- In 2005–2010, 5.0% of women and 3.1% of men aged 20 and over used a prescription sleep aid.
- Among adults with a physician-diagnosed sleep disorder, more than 16% reported prescription sleep-aid use.
- About 13% of adults who told a doctor they had trouble sleeping reported prescription sleep-aid use.
- The rate among adults with a diagnosed sleep disorder was more than five times the rate among adults without that diagnosis; this is a CDC-described comparison of age-adjusted survey estimates, not a causal effect.
These prescription figures are age-adjusted NHANES self-reports and should not be combined with the 2020 NHIS measure as one continuous trend. CDC/NCHS, Prescription Sleep Aid Use Among Adults: United States, 2005–2010
Sleep Medication Statistics by Age and Sex
In 2020, reported use every day or most days increased across the three broad adult age groups. The survey measured the previous 30 days and included prescribed and over-the-counter medication.
| Population | Sleep medication every day or most days, 2020 |
|---|---|
| Adults aged 18–44 | 5.6% |
| Adults aged 45–64 | 10.1% |
| Adults aged 65+ | 11.9% |
| Men aged 18–44 | 4.7% |
| Men aged 45–64 | 7.1% |
| Men aged 65+ | 10.1% |
| Women aged 18–44 | 6.5% |
| Women aged 45–64 | 13.0% |
| Women aged 65+ | 13.5% |
The 2020 pattern was also visible in earlier prescription-only NHANES data. Prescription sleep-aid use was about 2% among adults aged 20–39 in 2005–2010, 6% among adults aged 50–59 and 7% among adults aged 80 and over. CDC/NCHS, Sleep Medication Use in Adults Aged 18 and Over: United States, 2020; CDC/NCHS, Prescription Sleep Aid Use Among Adults: United States, 2005–2010
Race, Ethnicity and Income Sleep Medication Data
The 2020 NHIS reported differences by race and ethnicity. These groups are defined as non-Hispanic categories except for the Hispanic category, which may include people of any race.
| U.S. adult group, 2020 | Every day or most days |
|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic White | 10.4% |
| Non-Hispanic Black | 6.1% |
| Hispanic | 4.6% |
| Non-Hispanic Asian | 2.8% |
| Non-Hispanic White men | 8.0% |
| Non-Hispanic Asian men | 1.7% |
| Non-Hispanic White women | 12.6% |
| Hispanic women | 5.4% |
| Non-Hispanic Asian women | 3.9% |
The older prescription-only estimate showed a related but not identical pattern: in 2005–2010, use was 4.7% among non-Hispanic White adults aged 20 and over, 2.5% among non-Hispanic Black adults and 2.0% among Mexican-American adults. The age-adjusted NHANES estimates use different years, age eligibility and medication definitions than the 2020 NHIS results.
Income-group estimates from 2020 were relatively close but not identical. Sleep medication use was 10.0% among adults below 100% of the federal poverty level, 8.7% among adults at 100% to under 200% of the federal poverty level and 8.2% among adults at 200% or more of the federal poverty level.
For men, the corresponding every-day-or-most-days figures were 8.3% below 100% of the federal poverty level, 8.2% at 100% to under 200% and 6.0% at 200% or more. The federal poverty measure uses prior-calendar-year family income and family size. CDC/NCHS, Sleep Medication Use in Adults Aged 18 and Over: United States, 2020; CDC/NCHS, Prescription Sleep Aid Use Among Adults: United States, 2005–2010
Prescription Sleep Aids, Sleep Duration and Symptoms
The 2005–2010 NHANES analysis measured prescription sleep-aid use against self-reported usual sleep duration among U.S. adults aged 20 and over. The estimates were age-adjusted and describe past-30-day use.
| Usual sleep duration | Prescription sleep-aid use, 2005–2010 |
|---|---|
| Five hours or fewer | 6.0% |
| Six hours | 3.8% |
| Seven hours | 3.2% |
| Eight hours | 4.1% |
| Nine hours or more | 5.3% |
The 3.2% rate among seven-hour sleepers was the reference category in the cited comparison. Prescription sleep-aid use was higher among adults sleeping five or fewer hours, but these cross-sectional estimates do not establish that short sleep caused medication use or that medication caused a particular sleep duration. CDC/NCHS, Prescription Sleep Aid Use Among Adults: United States, 2005–2010
Sleep Medication Trends and Common Drug Classes
A peer-reviewed NHANES analysis covering 2005–2018 used the broader category “commonly used medication for insomnia” (MCUFI). MCUFI is broader than FDA-approved insomnia medicines, so its prevalence cannot be treated as a prescription-insomnia trend line.
- MCUFI prevalence was 13.3% among U.S. women aged 20 and over in 2005–2006.
- MCUFI prevalence was 8.9% among U.S. men aged 20 and over in 2005–2006.
- MCUFI prevalence peaked at 17.0% among women aged 20 and over in 2013–2014.
- MCUFI prevalence peaked at 15.2% among men aged 20 and over in 2013–2014.
- In the same NHANES analysis, insufficient sleep among women fell from 33.6% in 2005–2006 to 20.5% in 2017–2018.
- Insufficient sleep among men fell from 38.1% in 2005–2006 to 28.6% in 2017–2018.
A separate 2009–2010 evidence review cited population estimates for selected classes: benzodiazepine-receptor agonists were used by 1.23% of the population, trazodone by 0.97% and benzodiazepines by 0.4%. The class definitions and medication-use definitions differ, and trazodone is not FDA-approved as a primary insomnia medication.
An NHANES subsample cited in a clinical guideline reported approximately 19% using at least one pill or medication for sleep in the past month during 2005–2008. This broader estimate was a secondary citation and should not be compared directly with prescription-only measures. PubMed, Gender differences in the prevalence of and trends in sleep patterns and prescription medications for insomnia among US adults, 2005 to 2018; PMC, Trends in Insomnia Diagnosis and Treatment among Medicare Beneficiaries, 2006–2013
Sleep Medication Statistics Among Older Medicare Beneficiaries
Medicare claims data show how diagnosis coding and medication use can diverge among beneficiaries in the study sample. The diagnosis figures are provider-assigned ICD-9-CM codes and may undercount clinically assessed insomnia; medication claims indicate use in the covered population, not adherence or clinical effectiveness.
| Claims measure | 2006 | 2013 |
|---|---|---|
| Annual insomnia diagnosis | 3.9% | 6.2% |
| Any insomnia medication use | 21.0% | 29.6% |
| Both diagnosis and medication use | 3.5% | 5.5% |
| Either diagnosis or medication use | 22.7% | 31.0% |
Within the Medicare study, benzodiazepine use increased from 1.1% in 2012 to 17.6% in 2013. The increase coincided with Part D formulary inclusion, but the claims trend does not establish that coverage caused the increase.
The study reported that annual insomnia-medication prevalence did not show a statistically significant time trend from 2006 through 2013 (p=0.37). The combined measure of either an insomnia diagnosis or medication use also did not show a statistically significant time trend (p=0.27), which does not mean that every year was identical.
The Medicare results are not interchangeable with NHIS or NHANES survey estimates: they cover a different population, use claims-based ascertainment and measure annual claims rather than self-reported medication use in a previous-month window. PMC, Trends in Insomnia Diagnosis and Treatment among Medicare Beneficiaries, 2006–2013