Aaron Crowe
RedwoodAge.com
Having trouble sleeping lately? You're not alone.
Baby boomers already spend more than $600 million a year on sleep aids, and the market is expected to grow steadily as they age.
Women boomers face unique sleep challenges. As they age, more than half entering their menopausal transition years can expect to experience various primary sleep disorders, including sleep apnea, snoring, restless leg syndrome or insomnia.
"Sleep disorders are under-diagnosed in menopausal women, and many experts now recommend special consideration when diagnosing and treating their sleep problems," said Tatjana Meerman, publisher of Packaged Facts, a market research firm that produced the latest report on sleep aid products.
About 44 percent of Americans are problem sleepers and wake up too early at least eight nights a month, according to a separate Consumer Reports survey.
Nearly one in five Americans took prescription or over-the-counter medicines at least once a week, the consumer research group found. A quarter of the respondents said they became dependent on the medication, with 38 percent on the medication for more than two years.
"What people don't realize is these medications can pose a host of side effects including daytime drowsiness, even bizarre behavior like sleep-walking, sleep-eating, and sleep-driving," Tod Marks, a senior editor at the consumer magazine, said recently. "There are alternative treatments, such as sound machines, that may be quite effective, yet pose no risks at all."
Different Approaches
The report by Meerman's group is based on an investigation into the market of
mainstream and alternative products that aid, enhance or affect sleep and
relaxation.
It ties the success of sleep aids to aging boomers, who it calls a high-income populace less likely to feel the pinch of the weak economy as strongly as consumers with more moderate levels of income.
The report estimates that the total over the counter market for sleep aids reached $604 million this year, an increase of 9 percent from the $533 million in 2007. The increase was on par with the 8 percent compound annual growth rate that over the counter sleep aids had between 2004 and 2008.
In its study, Consumer Reports analyzed the experiences of 2,021 problem sleepers, looking at adults who used a specific approach to treat their insomnia for at least eight nights in the one-month period before they were surveyed. When over-the-counter drugs were used, they helped 57 percent of people most nights. Muscle relaxation helped 40 percent on most nights.
Sound machines proved to be almost as effective as pills, with 70 percent of people who tried sound machines saying therapeutic tones helped most nights. However, for people suffering from the most severe cases of sleep disturbance, only 50 percent said sound machines helped as much.
Expert Advice
Persistent sleep problems should be discussed with your doctor, but there are
some common sense tips that can help:
Avoid Caffeine: Limit yourself to one caffeinated drink a day, preferably in the morning.
Exercise: Regular workouts not only help you sleep, but are good for your heart.
Eat Early: Eat a light meal, early in the evening and nothing within three hours of bedtime.
Regular Hours: Try to get to bed about the same time each night if you can.
