Aug 6, 2008 6:27 pm US/Eastern
Health Watch: ER Wait Time, Sleep Aids, Alcoholism
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
ER Wait Times Have Risen The CDC reports the average wait times for patients to see a doctor in an emergency room have risen steadily over the past decade, from 28 minutes to almost an hour.
Experts say that's because more people are seeking care at ER's, while the number of emergency departments is shrinking. There were about 119 million ER visits in 2006—a 32 percent increase from 1996.
Alcoholism Study
Americans may be drinking less alcohol, on average, than they did in the past, and they're cutting back on beer and sipping more wine as they get older, but unfortunately, there was no drop in new cases of alcoholism among adults. That's according to data from the Framingham Heart Study, which has tracked 8,600 residents there over the past 50 years.
Sleep Medication Study
A new report finds that half of us have trouble falling or staying asleep—and that one in five people uses medication at least once a week to help them nod off.
The survey also found that 38 percent of the people who took a sleeping pill in the last month have been doing so for more than two years, even though most prescription sleep aids are usually recommended for less than two weeks.
Many people turn to sleep aids before trying non-drug alternatives such as sound machines, cognitive behavioral therapy and other relaxation techniques which can often be quite effective.
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