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DANGER IN INSOMNIA & SLEEP DEPRIVATION

We are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of sleep in maintaining our overall health and wellness. Adequate sleep is essential to repair and restore our organ systems such as our muscles and immune system.  It’s vital for memory, creativity and quality of life. Sleep helps to curb inflammation while helping us maintain a healthy weight.

A recent observational study of a half million people in China linked insomnia to higher rates of heart attacks and strokes. Interestingly enough this was most apparent in younger adults who had normal blood pressure.

Three insomnia symptoms were studied: trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, awakening too early, and daytime dysfunction related to poor sleep.

The research supports our current knowledge about the contribution of impaired sleep for both cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease.

The information gleaned from this study is extremely useful, but there are limitations to consider; insomnia symptoms were self-reported and were assessed only at baseline. Like many observational studies, association but not necessarily causation can be claimed.

You can read the original article from MedPageToday by clicking HERE.

Source Reference: Zheng B, et al "Insomnia symptoms and risk of cardiovascular diseases among 0.5 million adults: A 10-year cohort" Neurology 2019; DOI:10.1212/WNL.0000000000008581.