Tired Adults Dream of Sleep Aids for Better Rest, But Are They Getting It?

CivicScience reported earlier that 70% of U.S. adults have issues falling asleep. And recent data suggests more than half of Americans 18 or older don’t currently use any kind of product to improve this.

Because the sleep-aid industry shows a lot of potential for growth, CivicScience polled consumers on what they use to catch some very needed Zzz’s.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the most popular products studied were over-the-counter sleep aids (those which can be purchased without a prescription), including herbal supplements.

Of the non-herbal remedies studied, Tylenol PM, Advil PM, and Vicks ZzzQuil topped CivicScience’s ranking of popular medicines used to help with sleep. Each brand showed similar results for intent to use, but Advil PM showed the lowest. 

To see where marketing and growth opportunities might exist, CivicScience took a closer look at OTC sleep aids and supplement users and their habits. It appears these individuals are slightly more concentrated in older generations, but not by very much, and potentially because increased age positively correlates with increased trouble sleeping. 

Sleep aid users have trouble sleeping every night to a few nights a week at a much higher rate than non-users.

But what’s interesting is that sleep aid users aren’t getting much more sleep than non-users. On the one hand, those who take sleep aids show a greater percentage of people getting eight or more hours than those who don’t take them, but also a greater percentage getting six or less. Those who don’t take an OTC sleep aid at night report a more balanced sleep regimen of between six and eight hours of sleep each night.

It’s possible that sleep aid users are going through a lot right now. According to CivicScience data, users of sleep aids are more likely to be not working or getting paid, or are working reduced hours or with less pay as a result of the pandemic. In addition, the data show higher levels of stress among sleep aid users than among U.S adults at large (60% and 56% respectively).

Ultimately, there is a big market for sleep aids, including those that are considered to be herbal or supplemental. During a global crisis — and its stressful repercussions — it’s safe to assume people are looking for ways to rest and recharge more easily.