Use and success of pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic strategies for sleep problems.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this web-based, quantitative, descriptive, correlational study was to identify frequency of use and success of strategies to alleviate sleep problems, to determine whether there is any relationship between use and success (perceived effectiveness) of strategies, on the one hand, and adults' gender, age, income, or education, on the other.

DATA SOURCES: Data were collected from a web-based survey that examined strategy use and success to alleviate insomnia.

CONCLUSIONS: The most frequently used strategies and those perceived as successful in alleviating sleep problems included medications and sleep hygiene strategies. Users of some strategies differed from nonusers on gender, age, income, and education.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Results from this study can be used to advise patients with sleep problems about choosing strategies to help alleviate those problems to reduce insomnia and to lower the risks of comorbid illness and healthcare costs. This study contributes to the current available findings that focus on determining which strategies are being used to alleviate sleep problems, those perceived as the most successful, and identifying strategy use and success based on demographics.