Money Woes Boost Sales of Sedatives, Antidepressants

Here's a downer: The sale of antidepressants and sleeping pills have jumped amid the recession, and 31% of Americans asked about their sleeping habits say financial worries are keeping them up at night. The 7% jump in sleep aids comes despite hundreds of millions of fewer dollars spent on their marketing, reports Advertising Age.

"The economy problems are likely to be protracted," a sleep specialist predicts. But he stresses that long-term use of the pills is "not good because sedative hypnotics are best used for short-term insomnia." (More recession stories.)