More than £1million was spent on drugs to treat sleep disorders in Scotland last year.
Nearly 1.1million prescriptions were dispensed to treat the problem, which prompts around 45,000 people to visit their GP each year.
The Scottish Government yesterday said most prescriptions were for benzodiazepines and another group of drugs – Zaleplon, Zolpidem and Zopiclone.
More than 105,300 prescriptions were issued in Grampian, 66,300 in Highland, 86,400 in Tayside and 55,300 in Forth Valley.
Liberal Democrat health spokesman Ross Finnie said that more people should be sent to sleep clinics to cut the prescription bill.
“These are revealing statistics on a little-known affliction,” he said. “Many thousands 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.”
He added: “By sending more people to sleep clinics we can keep them off 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.”
The “gross ingredient cost” of prescription drugs for sleep disorders was highest in Greater Glasgow and Clyde at £307,000 and lowest in Orkney at just over £4,000.
In Grampian the cost was £82,000, Highland £61,500, Tayside £81,300 and Forth Valley £42,700.