Individuals with chronic insomnia have a high risk of mortality, according to an excerpt from research presented June 7, 2010, in Texas, at the annual meeting of Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC.
The results indicate that the index of mortality risk for whatever reason it was three times greater in people with chronic insomnia (HR = 3,0) than in people without insomnia.
When examining individual subtypes of insomnia, the risk of death was elevated. The risk of death in four subtypes of insomnia it was two to three times higher in individuals with:
1) Early chronic insomnia, that is, those who wake up very early and cannot go back to sleep (HR = 3,0).
2) Chronic sleep insomnia having difficulty getting back to sleep, that is, those who wake up sometime in the morning and cannot go back to sleep (HR = 3,0).
3) Insomnia onset, that is, those who find it difficult to fall asleep (HR = 2,4).
4) Chronic Sleep Maintenance Insomnia, that is, those who wake up several times during the night (HR = 2,3).
Results analysis
"The most surprising result was the increased risk of mortality among people with chronic insomnia compared to those without insomnia"said the study's lead author Laurel finn. "The important finding was the lack of differentiation between insomnia subtypes with respect to mortality risk."
The study included 2.242 participants in the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort Study who completed three mail-order surveys in the years 1989, 1994, and 2000. A subsequent investigation into the Social Security Index in 2010 determined that 128 participants had died during a period of follow-up up to 19 years. The causes of deaths were varied such as chronic bronchitis, myocardial infarction, stroke, hypertension, diabetes and depression.
Finn added that the results underscore the need for clinicians to provide effective treatments for insomnia, even in the absence of comorbid health problems."Insomnia is a serious symptom and has a negative impact on the quality of sleep that can lead people to seek treatment"Finn said.
"The identification of insomnia as a risk factor for mortality may have clinical implications and raise the level of priority for the treatment of insomnia."
The study was supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the National Institute on Aging and the National Center for Research Resources of the National Institutes of Health.
He left a video from youtube that explains the main function of sleep so that we know the importance of sleeping well: