Lack of sleep can prove a killer, reveals new research

LACK of sleep can have more serious side-effects than grumpiness and poor concentration. It can trigger a series of illnesses that could prove fatal, researchers have claimed.

Conditions such as depression, diabetes and hypertension have been linked to insomnia. Left untreated the most common sleep disorder can develop into other illnesses, but despite its potentially fatal effects it still often goes unrecognised.

Insomnia sufferers are five times more likely to experience anxiety and depression, have double the risk of developing congestive heart failure and diabetes, and a higher risk of death.

Dr Charles Morin from the Université Laval, Canada, and Dr Ruth Benca, from the University of Wisconsin, authors of the review to be published online in The Lancet, claimed most sufferers were treated with “over the counter” medication which had little evidence of being effective.

They said more needed to be done to ensure early diagnosis and treat sufferers in accordance with clinical guidelines such as using cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) looking at the psychological underlying reasons for the condition.

Last night, Professor Colin Espie, director of University of Glasgow Sleep Centre, said many insomniacs in Scotland could benefit from CBT, but that a very small number of patients get psychological help to tackle their problem.

In their report, Dr Morin and Dr Benca write: “In view of the high prevalence and substantial morbidities of insomnia, patients should routinely be asked about sleep problems by health-care providers.”

A quarter of the adult population suffer from sleeping problems and around 6 to 10 per cent have an insomnia disorder and have difficulty falling or staying asleep, a lack of restorative sleep, and daytime symptoms such as fatigue, trouble concentrating, and mood disturbances.

One of the studies reviewed also found individuals with insomnia are seven times more likely to abuse alcohol or drugs.

The National Institute of Health in the US claims only CBT and approved hypnotic drugs have sufficient evidence to support their use for the treatment of insomnia. But the authors claim there are few health-care professionals trained in these therapies.

Professor Colin Espie, who is conducting The Great British Sleep Survey, said the major problem was in lack of NHS funding for treatments.

He said: “The NHS tends to regard insomnia as ‘just a symptom’. This is not the case, insomnia should be seen as something fundamental which we should be tracking. Early diagnosis of insomnia is really important [yet] people in Scotland have more chance of being treated if they take part in a research programme than by the NHS.”