A report out recently is warning the NHS (UK) about the risk to the hundreds of thousands of people who claim they suffer from insomnia. Insomnia has been shown to lead to depression, diabetes and heart disease amongst a whole host of physical and mental risk factors.
Professor Colin Espie of Glasgow University and the organisation Sleepio, a worldwide research project in the psychology of sleep, said "Insomnia affects people's quality of life during the day, not just their
sleep at night. Indeed, the survey data show significant
effects across different aspects of personal functioning. Living with
poor sleep and its consequences is not only very common, but it is in
all likelihood degrading Britain's health. This is not a trivial matter.
It's time for the NHS to pay attention to the scientific evidence that
persistent poor sleep elevates the risk of developing new illnesses.
This has been shown in disorders such as diabetes, but also very convincingly in depression."
Another prominent expert in the health field, Dr. Michael J. Breus,cites the research carried out by The Norwegian Institute of Science and Technology which tracked more than 50,000 people. Amongst some of the findings were people who had difficulty falling asleep had a 45 percent greater risk
of heart attack compared to those who regularly fell asleep without
trouble.
The clip here has lots of flashing lights
There is a way to overcome insomnia for a lot of people though. Although insomnia can have many different factors causing it both mental and physical, identifying it as a problem for you could be the first stage.
Some people write a sleep diary or journal to allow them to notice any patterns, you may notice patterns yourself or taking the journal to a doctor or sleep specialist may help them identify any patterns. Things such as certain days or times of the month. An online 'sleep diary' can be found here along with a host of other sleep related info.
As has been noted in this blog at different times, exercise and meditation is a great way to help those who suffer from insomnia. It's not a guaranteed cure, but many scientific studies have shown how both have a positive effect on sleep patterns. Something simple like going outside for a walk could also help as the increase of oxygen to the brain can reduce stress.
As always, if you would like to discuss anything in the blog, leave a comment (if google ever fix it) or contact me (the top bar has some details).
Stay Healthy.
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