Estimates on the number of people experiencing insomnia range from 5-50 per cent, depending on the definition. Around a third of adults experience insomnia symptoms at least once a week, while 6-10 per cent have resulting daytime impairment.3,4

Women are 1.5 to 2 times more likely to experience insomnia compared to men. A recent Australian study has found chronic insomnia prevalence in younger adults (mean age of 22.2 years) to be 19.3 per cent in females and 10.5 per cent in males. Overall prevalence also increases with age, with men being more likely to see more marked changes as they age.3,4,5,6

An online survey identified over 64,000 insomniacs from more than 113,000 respondents. Among those with chronic insomnia, 33 per cent indicated they had a combination of sleep onset insomnia, sleep maintenance insomnia and early waking insomnia (more frequently among women). Slightly fewer (28 per cent) experienced sleep onset insomnia on its own (more frequently among men).5