Recent studies associate lack of sleep with serious health problems such as an increased risk of depression, obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Now, a research abstract finds that the health care costs of patients with insomnia are higher than for those without insomnia.
Kathleen Foley, PhD, of Thomson Medstat, based this study on a retrospective analysis of health insurance claims data in the United States.
Patients were selected if they were diagnosed with insomnia or received a prescription drug for insomnia in 2002 or 2003. A control group of patients was identified during the same study period.
According to the results, unadjusted annual health plan paid costs for insomnia patients were approximately three times higher ($8,978) compared to controls ($2,790).
Further, adjusted health plan-paid inpatient costs were 48-79 percent higher, outpatient costs 49-74 percent higher and prescription costs 69-100 percent higher for insomnia patients relative to controls.
Unadjusted mental health related costs for patients with insomnia were approximately seven times greater ($461) than those for controls ($64). Out-of-pocket costs for insomnia patients were roughly twice ($1,000) that of the control group ($448).
“Even for controlling for associated comorbidities, health plans and patients paid significantly higher health care costs for patients with insomnia compared to patients without insomnia,” said Foley.
Insomnia is a classification of sleep disorders in which a person has trouble falling asleep, staying asleep or waking up too early. These disorders may also be defined by an overall poor quality of sleep.
Insomnia is a common sleep disorder. About 30 percent of adults have insomnia. It is more common among elderly people and women. Some medical conditions cause insomnia, or it may be a side effect of a medication.
Experts recommend that adults get between seven and eight hours of sleep each night to maintain good health and optimum performance.
Source: American Academy of Sleep Medicine
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