Ten-year trend in sleeping pills use in Switzerland: the CoLaus study

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the trends and determinants of sleeping pill consumption in the general population. Methods: This was a prospective study that included 4329 participants (2379 women, 51.9 +/- 10.4 years) living in the city of Lausanne, Switzerland, followed up for an average of 10.9 years. Benzodiazepines and benzodiazepine receptor agonists were considered as sleeping pills. Results: The prevalence (95% confidence interval [CI]) of sleeping pills use was 8.0% (7.2-8.9) at baseline and 8.4 (7.6-9.3) after 10.9 years. Overall, sleeping pills use was higher among women, elderly individuals, and individuals reporting a history of anxiety and depression. During the 10.9-year follow-up, 85.8% of participants never used sleeping pills, 2.7% used the sleeping pills at all assessments, and 11.5% shifted from using to quitting (and vice versa). On multivariate analysis, the factors associated with "always" sleeping pills use were as follows: female gender (relative risk ratio and [95% CI] = 1.80 [1.14-2.85]); older age (7.05 [3.56-14.0] for 65 thorn vs < 45 years); lower educational level (2.06 [1.06-3.99] for mandatory vs university); anxiety (5.61 [3.61-8.71] for yes/no); and depression (3.75 [2.47-5.69] for yes/no). The same factors were also associated with occasional sleeping pills use (ie, shifters): relative risk ratios and 95% CI = 1.56 (1.26-1.94), 2.37 (1.72-3.26), 1.35 (0.98-1.87), 3.40 (2.59-4.45), and 2.50 (1.99-3.15) for female gender, older age, lower educational level, and anxiety and depression, respectively. Conclusion: During a 10.9-year follow-up, one out of seven participants (14.2%) used sleeping pills at least once during the study period. Sleeping pills use is more frequent among individuals with anxiety or depression, elderly individuals, and women. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.