Nearly 13% of Americans use drugs or marijuana to fall asleep

Nearly 13 percent of Americans are using medications or marijuana to help them fall asleep at night, new federal data reveals.

Some 5.2 percent use prescription sleep medications, 5.7 percent use over-the-counter medications or supplements like melatonin and 3.7 percent use marijuana or CBD products, according to new reports from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The percentages are up markedly from the agency’s first estimate of prescription sleep aid use in 2013, which showed that about 4 percent of adults aged 20 and older had used prescription sleep aids in the past month. That research did not include cannabis products, which have gained popularity and legality in recent years.

The researchers did not suggest reasons why more people were using these products, but reflect data showing Americans are struggling to get the federally-recommended seven hours of shut-eye for optimal health.

“These data suggest that people often self-medicate to alleviate sleep difficulties,” Naima Covassin, an assistant professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic, told Bloomberg. Covassin was not involved in the new research. “This pattern parallels the trend in reported sleep difficulties, which have been increasing over time.”

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Some trends shown in the new data have continued since the early 2000s.

For example, both reports show women used prescription sleep aids more than men, although the new research found the use of marijuana and CBD was similar for men and women.

The use of any sleep aid increased with age again, too. But the use of marijuana and CBD products for sleep declined with age.

This time, the researchers did not look at how prescription sleep aid use varied by sleep duration. In 2013, it was highest among adults who sleep fewer than five hours a night, or more than nine hours.

The new data showed that three in 10 adults reported getting fewer than seven hours of sleep on average.

One in six had trouble falling asleep and one in five had trouble staying asleep.

The findings build on past polling showing more than half of Americans say they would feel better if they got more sleep and the National Institutes of Health says as many as one in three American adults do not get seven hours of uninterrupted sleep.

About 50-70 million Americans suffer from sleep disorders, the NIH says.

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Many sleep disorders are spurred by poor mental health, including depression and anxiety. Rates of both have been on the rise in the U.S. and stress and anxiety are commonly cited reasons Americans lose sleep the American Academy of Sleep Medicine says.

Women are twice as likely to experience insomnia, according to Michigan Medicine, due to hormones and mood disorders. Women are also more likely to experience depression, the non-profit Mental Health America says.

But poor sleep doesn’t just make you tired. Over time, it has serious impacts for a person’s overall health.

Poor quality sleep can be a contributing factor for chronic health problems such as heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes, stroke and obesity.

It’s also linked to a higher risk of injury while driving and falls, the NIH notes.

And getting poor quality sleep begets more poor quality sleep, experts warn. In other words, it’s a vicious cycle.

“Many Americans find themselves caught in a loop: Mental health conditions disrupt their sleep, and poor sleep worsens their mental health conditions,” Jennifer Martin, a licensed clinical psychologist and past president of the academy, said in a past statement. “This cycle can lead to a range of health issues, beyond just daytime sleepiness. Insufficient sleep can impair cognitive function, affect mood, and diminish overall quality of life.”

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