Gaining a deeper understanding of how sleep affects our overall health, according to Soumi Lee, Ph.D., associate professor of human development and family studies at Penn State University and lead author of this study. That is the most important thing. Because we can target sleep as a modifiable factor. Future prevention and intervention strategies.

“Studies, including our own findings, show that sleep deprivation is associated with an increased risk of depression, chronic paincardiovascular disease, Decline in cognitive function” Dr. Lee told Medical News Today.

“Sleep is a fundamental daily behavior with huge potential. The cumulative impact on our health cannot be underestimated if we enhance our daily sleep patterns.”
— Dr. McCarthy.Fasting Lee

A study published in May 2017 found that sleep disorders have significant negative effects. short and long term Health effects.

A study published in July 2023 found that by age 40, adults who practice eight healthy habits (one of which is good sleep hygiene) have an average of 23 to 24 It turns out that there is a possibility that you can live longer.

For this study, Dr. Lee and her team used data collected from approximately 3,700 participants in the Medieval Study of the United States (MIDUS). The researchers had access to details about each participant’s sleep habits and chronic health conditions over two different time points 10 years apart.

Through this data, scientists were able to identify four different sleep patterns.

• person who sleeps well Who has the best sleep habits across all data points
• person taking a nap Someone who usually sleeps well but takes frequent naps
• Weekend catch-up sleeper People who sleep irregularly on weekdays and sleep for a long time on weekends and holidays
• insomnia Sleepers People who have sleep-related problems, such as taking a long time to fall asleep, having short sleep duration, or feeling more tired during the day.

The researchers reported that more than half of the study participants fell into the insomnia sleeper or napper group.

“The prevalence of suboptimal sleep patterns, particularly insomniac sleepers and nappers, among the majority of participants was truly surprising,” Dr. Lee said.

“Our study sample consisted primarily of healthy adults in the MIDUS study, which led us to expect better sleep health patterns. “It reveals a worrying prevalence of sleeper or napping patterns and highlights the importance of addressing sleep health even among ostensibly healthy populations,” he explained.

Through the study results, scientists found that people classified as insomniac sleepers were significantly more likely to develop chronic health conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and depression over a 10-year period.

“It is important to note that the identification of sleep onset phenotypes in insomnia is based on self-reported sleep characteristics rather than clinical diagnosis,” said Dr. Lee. “However, these characteristics closely match symptoms of clinical insomnia, including short sleep duration, high daytime fatigue, and prolonged sleep onset.”

Dr. Lee said this has several implications.

“First, anyone experiencing these symptoms should consult a medical professional for proper evaluation and treatment. Second, our study results indicate that at any point in the decade “We found that sleeping with insomnia significantly increased the likelihood of developing multiple chronic health conditions, with increases of up to 81% observed,” she elaborated.

“Third, people who sleep with insomnia are less likely to transition to other sleep patterns over a 10-year period, suggesting there are ongoing challenges to returning to optimal sleep.” continued Dr. Lee.

“Finally, this study identified an association between insomniac sleep patterns and socio-economic factors such as low education level and unemployment,” she added.

When asked what his plans are to continue this research, Dr. Lee said that the next step is to further this research to raise awareness about the importance of sleep health. said to be included.

“There is ample evidence that improved sleep quality is associated with positive health and aging outcomes, and further research is critically needed,” she continued.

“Specifically, I aim to delve into the antecedents of sleep health and investigate the factors that contribute to maintaining optimal sleep patterns despite age-related decline. “Understanding how sleep is maintained and identifying protective factors against sleep disturbances will be central to shaping interventions aimed at promoting overall well-being,” she told Medical News Today. .

MNT also spoke with Dr. Monique May, a family physician and member of the AeroFlow Sleep Advisory Board, about this study.

Dr. May said her first reaction was that the study results about people sleeping with insomnia made intuitive sense.

“People who sleep with insomnia are expected to be at higher risk for chronic disease because they are not getting high-quality sleep, which is important for regulating metabolism and performing restorative activities,” she explained.

“However, we were surprised to find that nappers were at higher risk for chronic disease, as they were described as having ‘mostly good sleep but napping frequently.'” “While very beneficial, this study suggests we may need to reconsider recommending napping,” she added.

Dr. May said it was important to have a better understanding of how sleep affects our overall health, so doctors could provide improved targeted interventions for people with sleep problems. He said that it will be possible to provide targeted treatment.

“It’s important to have evidence on which to base lifestyle recommendations. For example, being able to identify what type of sleeper a person is at different points in their life can help doctors improve their chances of success.” will be able to make higher recommendations and prescribe treatments,” she said.