LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Eighty three percent of Americans say they do not always get a good night’s sleep on a regular basis, according to the 2013 Rx Sleep Survey conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of Targeted Medical Pharma, Inc. (OTCQB: TRGM), a Los Angeles-based biotechnology company.
The results also revealed that while only 25 percent of Americans would be willing to take a prescription sleep aid to improve sleep quality, the majority of Americans (71 percent) would rather use other means to get a good night’s rest. Slightly more than half of those Americans who said they would take a prescription sleep aid only would do so if the ingredients were recognized as safe as defined by the FDA.
“Most Americans who have trouble sleeping would rather not take prescription drugs because of the adverse side effects,” said Dr. Fred McCall-Perez, Ph.D., Vice President of Medical Affairs at Targeted Medical Pharma, who will be presenting the survey results in conjunction with clinical data comparing the medical food Sentra PM® and a commonly prescribed sleep drug for the management of sleep disorders associated with depression, June 5 at SLEEP 2013 in Baltimore, MD (Abstract: 0663; Poster: 144). “Clinical data show our amino acid-based oral medication, Sentra PM improved the quality of sleep with no adverse side effects because it is formulated using ingredients that are Generally Recognized as Safe by the FDA.”
Women Are More Affected
More women (88 percent) than men (78 percent) suffer from lack of sleep or sleep disorders, according to the survey, with 56 percent of women saying anxiety and stress are the leading reasons for lack of restful sleep, compared to only 40 percent of men.
Forty-eight percent of Americans say stress and anxiety prevent them from getting a good night’s sleep on a regular basis. Other top reasons Americans do not always get a good night’s sleep include:
- Inability to turn off thoughts (47 percent): Women (51 percent); Men (43 percent)
- Pain (38 percent): Women (40 percent); Men (35 percent)
- Being overtired (32 percent): Women (36 percent); Men (28 percent)
- Background noise (23 percent): Women (27 percent); Men (20 percent)
- Children or pets (23 percent): Women (27 percent); Men (18 percent)
Difficulty breathing (18 percent) and spouses or significant others (17 percent) rounded out the list of reasons Americans cited for not getting a good night’s sleep on a regular basis.
The survey also found that people with household incomes of more than $100K annually (41 percent) were less inclined to say stress or anxiety were reasons for not getting good sleep, compared to those individuals with household incomes of less than $35K annually (55 percent). The same disparity went for pain. Only 31 percent of America’s high earners said pain was a reason for not sleeping, compared to 45 percent of those making the lowest wages.
Despite differences between the two income groups, there were some similarities when it comes to reasons for not getting a good night’s sleep. The survey revealed that the inability to turn off thoughts and children or pets affected sleep the same regardless of income (48 percent and 24 percent, respectively).
The survey also discovered that 96 percent of the sleep-deprived are not taking prescription sleep aids to improve the quality of their slumber. More women (29 percent) than men (20 percent) would be willing to take a prescription sleep aid. The survey also found that women (68 percent) are less inclined than men (75 percent) to use other means than prescription sleep aids to help them sleep.
“It’s interesting to see the dichotomy between men and women when it comes to getting a good night’s sleep,” added Dr. McCall-Perez. “Women appear to be more stressed, more anxious, more tired, and more open than men to using a prescription sleep aid.”
About the Rx Sleep Survey
The TRGM Sleep Survey was conducted by telephone within the United States by Harris Interactive between April 25-28, 2013 among 1,008 U.S. adults 18 years of age and older. Results were weighted for age, sex, geographic region, and race when necessary to align them with their actual proportions in the population.
About Harris Interactive
Harris Interactive is one of the world’s leading custom market research firms. Known widely for the Harris Poll and for pioneering innovative research methodologies, Harris offers expertise in a wide range of industries including healthcare, technology, public affairs, energy, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, media, retail, restaurant, and consumer package goods. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com.
About Targeted Medical Pharma, Inc.
Targeted Medical Pharma, Inc. is a Los Angeles-based biotechnology company that develops prescription medical foods for the treatment of chronic disease, including pain syndromes, peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, obesity, sleep and cognitive disorders. The company manufactures 10 proprietary prescription-only medical foods, as well as 48 convenience packed kits, which pair a medical food and branded or generic pharmaceutical. These prescription medical foods and therapeutic systems are sold to physicians and pharmacies in the U.S. and the Middle East through the company’s subsidiary, Physician Therapeutics. These proprietary medications represent a novel approach to the management of certain disease states, focusing on safety and efficacy without the deleterious side effects of traditional, high dose prescription drugs. The company is developing nutrient-based systems for oral stimulation of progenitor stem cells that differentiate into neurons, red blood cells, pituitary hormones including IGF-I. Targeted Medical Pharma also provides diagnostic testing as well as billing and collection services on behalf of dispensing physicians.
