The New York Times published an article exploring the problem of insomnia and medications used to treat it. Apparently two new drugs will be released for prescription in the near future.
Estimates of the number of people with insomnia vary widely. About 40 percent of adult Americans have at least occasional trouble sleeping, according to the National Sleep Foundation, which promotes understanding of sleep disorders and research on them. Some insomnia is temporary, caused by job worries, for instance.
But an estimated 10 to 15 percent of adults have severe or chronic insomnia. Many cases appear to be caused by an underlying condition like depression or painful arthritis, and the best approach is to treat that underlying condition. But for perhaps 15 to 30 percent of those with chronic insomnia, no known underlying disorder can be found.
Several studies have shown that people with insomnia are more likely than others to become depressed.
Lack of sleep, though not always caused by insomnia, can interfere with social life, job performance and driving. At least one study has shown that sleep deprivation results in poor glucose metabolism, a hallmark of diabetes.
Still, scientists cannot yet point to any study showing that treating insomnia with sleeping pills staves off depression or other diseases. Yet some experts say understanding the dangers of insomnia is only a matter of time.
American culture tends to eschew sleep in favor of doing. Additionally, we are stretched thin with regard to scheduling work and a social life; seduced and hypnotized by the glass eye most evenings; and captive to our geography, driving long distances to complete mundane tasks. We live with conveniences that save us time but rob us of physical exertion.
I deal with periodic insomnia and have occasionally used a prescribed medication. Does it work? Yes, but I rediscovered that regular exercise along with reduction in caffeine induces sleepiness and improves the quality of my rest. Exercise has restored my equilibrium so well that I will not seek a renewal of that prescription. I am dismayed that, rather than encouraging people to increase physical activity and decrease the amount of junk in their diets (which would also abate the trend of obesity in our country), we will instead be encouraged by medical marketing to just take a pill. For those with hard-core insomnia, this may be necessary; unfortunately, I think many people will be prescribed something that they could otherwise do without.