One in four of us have problems sleeping, without realising the effect it has on our health – We have all at one time or another suffered from disturbed or poor quality sleep, but do any of us consider at what point this may start to have serious implications to our health?
As humans we should get between 7 and 8 hours a sleep a night yet one in four of us suffers from poor sleep at any one time and up to one in ten suffers from insomnia. Typical symptoms include difficulty falling or staying asleep, or feeling unrefreshed in the morning which shows why it’s so important to our mental as well as physical health..
The authors of the review, Dr Charles Morin from the Université Laval, Québec City, and Ruth Benca from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, said “insomnia can lead to “substantial long-term effects” on people’s physical and mental wellbeing”.
“Most people with the condition are vulnerable to recurrent episodes and research suggests that nearly 70 per cent of those with insomnia continue to experience symptoms a year later, and half still have insomnia up to three years later.
People with insomnia are more than five times as likely to experience anxiety and depression, are at more than double the risk of developing congestive heart failure and diabetes, and are at a higher risk of premature death, the authors said.
They highlighted a study which found that people with insomnia were seven times more likely to abuse alcohol or drugs over the next three and a half years compared to those without the condition.
Although many with insomnia turn to over-the-counter medicines for the sleep disorder, the authors said there was “little evidence” of their effectiveness“.
Click the following link to read the full article on Yahoo Health.
