Insomnia symptoms and use of health care services and medications: the HUNT-2 study

Abstract

This study investigated how symptoms of insomnia are related to use of health care services and medications. Data on insomnia symptoms, use of a range of health care services, and potential confounders were gathered from 47,700 individuals aged 20 to 89. The prevalence of insomnia symptoms was higher among health care users across a range of health professionals. The frequency of medication use, alcohol overuse, and hospitalization was also higher among individuals with insomnia symptoms. Overall, much of these associations were explained by medical or mental conditions, but the effects largely remained significant in the fully adjusted analyses. This study concludes that insomnia symptoms represent a significant public health concern, being independently associated with substantially elevated use of health care services, medications, and alcohol overuse.