The aim of this study was to assess the trends and determinants of sleeping pill consumption in the general population.
This was a prospective study that included 4329 participants (2379 women, 51.9 ± 10.4 years) living in the city of Lausanne, Switzerland, followed up for an average of 10.9 years. Benzodiazepines and benzodiazepine receptor agonists were considered as sleeping pills.
The prevalence (95% confidence interval [CI]) of sleeping pills use was 8.0% (7.2-8.9) at baseline and 8.4 (7.6-9.3) after 10.9 years. Overall, sleeping pills use was higher among women, elderly individuals, and individuals reporting a history of anxiety and depression. During the 10.9-year follow-up, 85.8% of participants never used sleeping pills, 2.7% used the sleeping pills at all assessments, and 11.5% shifted from using to quitting (and vice versa). On multivariate analysis, the factors associated with "always" sleeping pills use were as follows: female gender (relative risk ratio and [95% CI] = 1.80 [1.14-2.85]); older age (7.05 [3.56-14.0] for 65 + vs < 45 years); lower educational level (2.06 [1.06-3.99] for mandatory vs university); anxiety (5.61 [3.61-8.71] for yes/no); and depression (3.75 [2.47-5.69] for yes/no). The same factors were also associated with occasional sleeping pills use (ie, shifters): relative risk ratios and 95% CI = 1.56 (1.26-1.94), 2.37 (1.72-3.26), 1.35 (0.98-1.87), 3.40 (2.59-4.45), and 2.50 (1.99-3.15) for female gender, older age, lower educational level, and anxiety and depression, respectively.
During a 10.9-year follow-up, one out of seven participants (14.2%) used sleeping pills at least once during the study period. Sleeping pills use is more frequent among individuals with anxiety or depression, elderly individuals, and women.