Sleeping Pill Statistics

Overall Sleep Medication Addiction Statistics

Sleeping pill addiction statistics show that misuse of sedative medications is a growing concern in the United States. It’s common for doctors to prescribe drugs like Ambien, benzodiazepines, and other sleep aids, but these medications can also lead to dependence, abuse, and even overdose in some users.

By examining how widespread this problem is, we can gain a better understanding of why careful prescription practices are so important.

What Are Sleep Aids?

Sleep aids are medications that are used to help people manage insomnia or other sleep issues.

Sleep aids can include:

• Benzodiazepines, such as diazepam (Valium), clonazepam (Klonopin), and alprazolam (Xanax)
• Z-drugs, like zolpidem (Ambien), eszopiclone (Lunesta), and zaleplon (Sonata)
• Sedatives and minor tranquilizers, which includes meprobamate, and chloral hydrate (Note: these drugs are much less commonly used)
• Barbiturates, like methylphenobarbital (Prominal), phenobarbital (Luminal), pentobarbital sodium (Nembutal)
• Hypnotics, such as suvorexant (Belsomra), ramelteon (Rozerem)
• Certain antidepressants used for their sedative effects, such as trazodone, mirtazapine, doxepin

While these drugs can be very helpful in treating problems associated with getting a good night’s rest, they also carry a high potential for misuse, dependence, and addiction. Therefore, these medications should always be used exactly as prescribed.

How Common Is Sleeping Pill Misuse?

Sleeping pill misuse is more common than many people realize. Misuse can include taking higher doses than prescribed, using medications longer than directed, or taking someone else’s prescription—sometimes to improve sleep, manage anxiety, or experience a high.

Several studies highlight how widespread this issue is:

• About 8.5% of adults report using sleep medications daily, with higher rates among older adults.

• Roughly 9% of people who use z-drugs (like Ambien) report misuse, showing that even newer sleep aids carry risks.

• Approximately 0.16% of Americans (about 2.2 million people) meet the criteria for a sedative or hypnotic use disorder.

• In 2020, an estimated 343,000 people misused prescription sedatives for the first time, indicating that new cases continue to appear each year.

These statistics suggest that while not everyone who uses sleep medications develops a problem, misuse and dependence remain ongoing public health concerns.

Sleeping Pill Overdose Statistics

Sleep medication can be dangerous. It is uncommon to die from an overdose involving sleep medication alone. However, the risk increases significantly when sleep medications are used with other substances, especially opioids or alcohol.

• More than 5,800 overdose deaths in the United States involved antidepressants in 2022, many of which are commonly prescribed off-label for sleep.
• About 21% of opioid overdose deaths also involved benzodiazepines in 2021, highlighting the high risk of combining sleep medications with opioids.
• 12,499 people died from a benzodiazepine-involved overdose in 2021, with most of these deaths involving other central nervous system depressants.

Sleep Medication Abuse Statistics by Age

People of all ages misuse sleeping pills. While some people misuse sleeping pills to try to sleep better, others misuse them to get high.

Young people ages 18-25 have some of the highest rates of sleep medicine misuse. However, sleeping pill misuse has also become a huge issue among older and elderly adults.

People ages 65 and older commonly have issues sleeping and require sleep medication prescriptions. Many of these older people end up dependent on sleep medication, and some of them misuse their prescriptions.

 Misuse of Sedatives and Tranquilizers: Age Group Comparison (NSDUH 2022 vs 2019)

Misuse of Sleep Medication by Older Adults

• In 2011, there were 290 drug-related emergency visits made by adults ages 65 and older involving illegal drug use, including misuse of prescription drugs. Benzodiazepine misuse was the second most common reason for these visits.
• 48 out of 290 illegal drug-related Emergency Department visits by older adults were for benzodiazepine misuse.
• 4% of the nation’s elders use central nervous system depressants (including sleep medications).
• 20-50% of women over age 60 are prescribed benzodiazepines.
• Somewhere between 9% to 54% of older adults have taken benzodiazepines in the past year.

Treatment Statistics, Types, and How to Get Help

Sleep medication addiction rehab varies but includes detoxification and counseling programs.

Since many different types of drugs are used to help people sleep, there are various addiction rehab programs.

Tranquilizer (Including Benzodiazepines) Addiction Treatment Statistics from 2015

• 14,217 people were admitted to treatment programs for abusing tranquilizers; they made up 0.9% of treatment program admissions.
• 8% of people admitted for abusing tranquilizers received ambulatory/outpatient treatment.
• 8% received residential/inpatient treatment.
• 4% received 24-hour detoxification treatment.

Sedative/Hypnotics (Including Barbiturates) Addiction Treatment Statistics from 2015

• 2,801 people were admitted to treatment programs for abusing sedatives. They made up 0.2% of treatment program admissions.
• 8% of people admitted for abusing tranquilizers received ambulatory/outpatient treatment.
• 6% received residential/inpatient treatment.
• 6% received 24-hour detoxification treatment.

Sleep medication addiction treatment varies by type of drug and severity of the addiction.

Sleeping pill addiction impacts individuals across various age groups, with significant misuse and overdose risks when combined with other substances. As these medications are commonly prescribed for sleep disorders, it’s crucial to be aware of their potential for dependency.

The statistics highlight that while many misuse these drugs unintentionally, addiction can quickly develop, especially among younger adults and seniors. Understanding these trends helps shed light on the need for careful prescription practices, as well as access to effective treatment programs like detox, counseling, and ongoing support, offering hope for those struggling with sleeping pill addiction.

Written by

Jessica Miller

Editorial Director

Jessica Miller is the Editorial Director of Addiction Help. Jessica graduated from the University of South Florida (USF) with an English degree and combines her writing expertise and passion for helping others to deliver reliable information to those impacted by addiction. Informed by her personal journey to recovery and support of loved ones in sobriety, Jessica's empathetic and authentic approach resonates deeply with the Addiction Help community.

Reviewed by

• Fact-Checked
• Editor

Kent S. Hoffman, D.O.

Co-Founder & Chief Medical Officer

Kent S. Hoffman, D.O. has been an expert in addiction medicine for more than 15 years. In addition to managing a successful family medical practice, Dr. Hoffman is board certified in addiction medicine by the American Osteopathic Academy of Addiction Medicine (AOAAM). Dr. Hoffman has successfully treated hundreds of patients battling addiction. Dr. Hoffman is the Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer of AddictionHelp.com and ensures the website’s medical content and messaging quality.