ABSTRACT
Insomnia is a common disorder that is characterized by difficulty in initiating sleep, maintaining sleep, and/or by non-restorative sleep. Sleep deprivation and poor sleep quality can have a major impact on quality of life, with daytime consequences such as fatigue, irritability, and reduced cognitive function and memory. Although 1 in 4 of the population is affected by this condition, with the incidence increasing significantly with age, only 14% reported using a sleep prescription.1 The global prescription market for sleep disorder therapies is currently worth US$3.5 billion across the key pharmaceutical markets (USA, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK, and Japan), with the estimation that it will rise to $5.5 billion in 2014, in part reflecting new medications becoming available, the population aging, and the increase in the prevalence of other diseases that cause insomnia.2 The significant individual, social, and economic effects of insomnia underscore the need for effective treatments that are well tolerated.
