The prevalence and characteristics of complementary medicine use by Australians living with sleep disorders – Results of a cross-sectional study

Objectives To report the prevalence and characteristics of complementary medicine use and product utilization by Australians living with sleep disorders. Design A cross-sectional study. Methods 2025 adults representative of the Australian population by age, gender and state/territory of residence completed a survey consisting of 50 items including demographic, health services and complementary product/service utilization and health status items. The sociodemographic characteristics, prevalence and frequency of complementary medicine (CM) use, and out of pocket CM expenses were compared between those reporting a sleep disorder to those without a sleep disorder. Results Of the 2019 respondents completing the online survey, 265 (13%) reported sleep disorders. Of these 265 respondents, the median age bracket was 40–50 years; 54.7% were females. The mean health-related quality of life score in this group was 44.8 ± 23.3; the group had a higher level of comorbid conditions compared to those without sleep disorders (p Conclusion Both complementary medicine and conventional services/medicines use is more prevalent in Australians with sleep disorders compared to those not reporting a sleep disorder. This raises a number of clinical and safety considerations including accommodating patient preferences.