Insomnia is turning people toward alternative therapy

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

More than 1.6 million US adults are on alternative therapy to treat insomnia, according to a survey.
Around ten to 34 per cent of Americans admit insomnia. The problem can be treated with prescription medication or cognitive behavioral therapy. Alternative therapies for insomnia include herbal medicines and relaxation technique. A team at the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine set out to investigate the popularity of the latter.

Of the 31,044 adults interviewed, 17.4 per cent said they had insomnia, which was more common among women and in the 45 to 64 age group. Insomnia was linked to obesity, hypertension, anxiety and depression - but not with diabetes. One in 20 of those who did have insomnia had tried alternative therapy, which is the equivalent to 1.62 million adults in the general population. Among those on alternative therapy, 60.7 per cent had told their physician about it. Sixty five per cent were using herbal remedies, vitamins or dietary interventions. Thirty nine per cent used mind-body therapies like meditation. Around half of those on herbal remedies and half using relaxation reported they found these alternative therapies helpful for insomnia. However, as the researchers point out, this does not prove that alternative therapy actually does work for insomnia - more clinical trials are needed to establish this.

Source
Archives of Internal Medicine 18th September 2006 Volume 166 pages 1775-1782

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