Who misuses sedatives for sleep? Evidence from a nationally representative US sample

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Sociology
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Sedative misuse for sleep is a growing public health concern.
• Limited data exists on the prevalence and social patterns of this misuse in the general population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To estimate the prevalence of sedative misuse for sleep among US adults.
• To identify sociodemographic and health correlates of sedative misuse for sleep.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of data from the 2021-2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH).
• Inclusion of 138,787 US adults aged 18 and older.
• Application of survey-weighted multinomial logistic regression models.

Main Results:

• Approximately 0.27% of US adults, or 681,000 individuals, reported misusing sedatives for sleep.
• Misuse was more common among individuals with higher income, more education, and non-Hispanic White adults, suggesting access advantages.
• Elevated misuse was also observed in individuals attracted to the same sex, with a history of incarceration, and those with chronic health conditions or poor mental health, indicating concentrated health burdens.

Conclusions:

• Sedative misuse for sleep is driven by simultaneous social processes: healthcare access advantages for privileged groups and heightened sleep-related health needs in vulnerable populations.
• Clinical and policy interventions should address both privileged groups with healthcare access and traditionally recognized vulnerable populations.