Contrary to what we might think, insomnia is far more destructive than just the irritation that people who have sleepless nights feel. A new scientific research has found that the indirect costs of untreated insomnia are far more than the costs of its requisite medications. The indirect costs outweigh the direct costs of treatment. In Quebec, Canada, for example, the total annual cost of insomnia is 6.5 billion Canadian dollars, or one percent of the province’s $228.5 billion GDP. That may be something to lose sleep over.

Insomnia has its socioeconomic cost. The cost of alcohol used as sleep inducer is more than doctor’s fees and price of sleep aiding medicines. For indirect costs of insomnia, lost hours of productivity at work comes as the steepest price. Job absenteeism comes as the second most costly effect. The research study is significant because it validates the notion that there is more to insomnia than doctor consultations and medications. The study concludes that public education and awareness on the availability of effective insomnia treatments are the vital factors that can curb this health affliction and socioeconomic condition.

Insomnia is the difficulty in initiating or maintaining sleep. In 2007, around 64 million insomniacs were recorded in the US alone. Insomnia occurs slightly more commonly in women than in men. In most cases, insomnia is a result of another disease, a side effect of medicines, or a symptom of a psychological problem.

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Via Science Daily