Trends in insomnia and excessive daytime sleepiness among U.S. adults from 2002 to 2012

Insomnia is a prevalent disorder in the United States and elsewhere. It has been associated with a range of somatic and psychiatric conditions, and adversely affects quality of life, productivity at work, and school performance. The objective of this study was to examine the trend in self-reported insomnia and excessive daytime sleepiness among US adults.

We used data of participants aged ≥18 years from the National Health Interview Survey for the years 2002 (30,970 participants), 2007 (23,344 participants), and 2012 (34,509 participants).

The unadjusted prevalence of insomnia or trouble sleeping increased from 17.5% (representing 37.5 million adults) in 2002 to 19.2% (representing 46.2 million adults) in 2012 (relative increase: +8.0%) (P trend <0.001). The age-adjusted prevalence increased from 17.4% to 18.8%. Significant increases were present among participants aged 18-24, 25-34, 55-64, and 65-74 years, men, women, whites, Hispanics, participants with diabetes, and participants with joint pain. Large relative increases occurred among participants aged 18-24 years (+30.9%) and participants with diabetes (+27.0%). The age-adjusted percentage of participants who reported regularly having excessive daytime sleepiness increased from 9.8% to 12.7% (P trend <0.001). Significant increases were present in most demographic groups. The largest relative increase was among participants aged 25-34 years (+49%). Increases were also found among participants with hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, and joint pain.

Given the deleterious effects of insomnia on health and performance, the increasing prevalence of insomnia and excessive daytime sleepiness among US adults is a potentially troubling development.