Is it just about sleeping?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/nov/1 ... eep-survey

Insomnia: Britons' health 'at risk' as 50% fail to get enough sleep
NHS must take action or face an increase in a raft of illnesses, including diabetes and depression, warns expert

Tracy McVeigh
The Observer, Sunday 13 November 2011

A new survey has found that more than half of British people believe they do not get enough sleep.
Worrying about the recession? Anxious about a big work meeting? Fretting over the performance of your football team? If these concerns keep you awake at night, you're not alone.

Getting a good night's sleep has never been so tricky in Britain, it seems, as 51.3% of us struggle to nod off. And women are three times more likely than men to suffer – 75% of women report problems, compared with 25% of men, say new statistics from the Great British Sleep Survey, which suggests the nation's health is suffering as a result of insomnia.

Professor Colin Espie of Glasgow University, the co-founder of sleep organisation Sleepio, which commissoned the survey, said the results pointed to a "real medical issue that should be taken seriously". A quarter of those with insomnia had suffered for more than 11 years.

"Insomnia affects people's quality of life during the day, not just their sleep at night," he said. "Indeed, the survey data show significant effects across different aspects of personal functioning. Living with poor sleep and its consequences is not only very common, but it is in all likelihood degrading Britain's health. This is not a trivial matter. It's time for the NHS to pay attention to the scientific evidence that persistent poor sleep elevates the risk of developing new illnesses. This has been shown in disorders such as diabetes, but also very convincingly in depression."

The Great British Sleep Survey interviewed 11,129 adults earlier this year. It found that, of those who had trouble sleeping, 55% reported having relationship difficulties as a result, while 77% reported issues of concentration, 64% said they were less productive at work, 83% reported problems with their mood and 93% with energy levels.

"The evidence is that cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is very effective and CBT for insomnia really must be provided on the NHS," said Espie. "It is available if you're anxious or depressed; why not for insomnia?"

A two-year study by a team from the Tokyo Medical University published last week found that people who do not get a good night's sleep are twice as likely to suffer from depression.

Julie wrote:
75% of women report problems, compared with 25% of men, say new statistics from the Great British Sleep Survey, which suggests the nation's health is suffering as a result of insomnia.

75% of women report problems, compared with 25% of men,

is a very interesting statistic.

When we have a look at the drinking statistics of the English population we find that far more men drink heavily than do women -

http://www.alcoholpolicy.net/2011/05/st ... -mark.html

So the posted report says that only 25% of men have insomnia. What the report does not tell us is how many of the 75% men did not have insomnia because they went to bed drunk, or having had a lot to drink. The report does not tell us how many men of the 75% who slept all night woke up with a hangover.

There is also the possibility that because most British men would not know a feeling from a lump of coal, they can carry on regardless of what is going on around them, whereas women, most of whom are in touch with their feelings, know what is going on and are concerned, worry, and have insomnia.

Then there is the possibilty that the men have had their sexual desires satisfied, and then go to sleep. It may be they are leaving the women unsatisfied, and with insomnia !

And, of course, it could be an ego thing with many men, so they lie and say they slept well when they didn't.

Much more needs to be looked at for answers to discepancy between the 25% of women who sleep well and the 75% of men who sleep well, but I reckon that the possibilities above cover most of the gap.



cheers

Mars

Mars.

Ya'll crack me up.

While not impressed with the information as a "study" what crossed my mind is if missing sleep alone causes so much trouble, how much more so for the persons also dealing with the oxygen deprivation and flood of stress hormones that come with OSA. Yikes!