The prevalence of insomnia and sleep apnea among US military personnel has skyrocketed over the last decade, reports Reuters.
To investigate rates of insomnia and sleep apnea in the military, Lieberman and colleagues looked for cases between 2005 to 2014 in the Defense Medical Epidemiological Database, which keeps records of the medical encounters of active duty military personnel.
They found that medical visits for sleep apnea increased from 44 per 1,000 people per year in 2005 to 273 per 1,000 per year in 2014. Visits for insomnia increased from 16 per 1,000 per year in 2005 to 75 per 1,000 per year in 2014.
Obstructive sleep apnea was more common than insomnia throughout the time period, and the rates of encounters for apnea rose 3.5 times more than did rates of insomnia. In general, insomnia rates were higher among women, African Americans, people over age 40, enlisted personnel and in the Army, compared to other military branches.
Obstructive sleep apnea rates were highest among men, African Americans, senior officers, Army personnel and those over age 40.
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