Lib Dems reveal worrying extent of sleeping disorders in Scotland
December 30, 2009 10:36 AM
Originally published by Scottish Liberal Democrats
Originally published by Scottish Liberal Democrats
Parliamentary Questions by the Liberal Democrats have revealed the extent of sleeping disorders in Scotland.
Over 130,000 people have consulted their GP for a sleep disorder in the last 3 years.
At the same time nearly 1.1 million drugs have been dispensed to combat the problem, at a cost of more than £1 million.
Liberal Democrat Health spokesman Ross Finnie MSP said:
"These are revealing statistics on a little-known affliction. Many thousands of people across Scotland are silently battling with sleep disorders, which can be physically and mentally debilitating.
"Insomnia ruins lives, while sleep apnoea and narcolepsy can be fatal.
"The vast majority of these GP consultations are for insomnia. Effective treatments are available at Scotland's sleep clinics but more must be done to improve access. Sleep clinics must be made a priority.
"By sending more people to sleep clinics we can keep them off sleep medicines and slash Scotland's prescriptions bill.
"I am worried that this could be the tip of the iceberg in terms of Scotland's sleep problems."
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