Insomnia can lead to ''life-threatening conditions''
20/01/2012
A number of serious health conditions can arise if you suffer from insomnia, new research has found.
Experts writing in the Lancet medical journal revealed that depression, high blood pressure, heart failure and diabetes can all arise from sleeplessness.
Charles Morin from the Universite Laval in Quebec City, Canada and Ruth Benca from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, argued that doctors aren't providing effective therapies for the problem.
"In view of the high prevalence and substantial morbidities of insomnia, patients should routinely be asked about sleep problems by health-care providers," they commented.
Many healthcare providers are instead opting to prescribe drugs to treat insomnia, which the experts believe does not get to the root of the problem.
Instead, it is suggested that efforts must be made to ensure an early diagnosis, which will allow insomnia to be treated before it reaches a near-fatal stage.
Posted by Michael Ewing
