Furthermore, in another study that followed about 1,000 randomly-selected HMO patients for three years, those with insomnia were nearly four times more likely to be newly diagnosed with major depression and nearly twice as likely to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, Dr. Nard said.

In another study of patients with insomnia, those whose insomnia had resolved at one year were less likely to be diagnosed with major depression than those whose insomnia persisted (0.6% versus 14%), Dr. Nard said.

In the same study, patients with resolved insomnia were less likely to be diagnosed with anxiety disorders (7.4% versus 25.6%) and alcohol abuse (2.5% versus 3.4%), Dr. Nard said.

Alcohol abuse may have an especially important tie to insomnia, Dr. Nard suggested. While the number-one non-prescription sleep aid in the United States is Tylenol PM, the number two non-prescription sleep aid is alcohol, he said.

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