New research shows that a lack of sleep is a growing health problem around the world. Sleeplessness has been linked to such chronic illnesses as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Lack of sleep is not just a problem in developed nations. It’s getting just as bad in developing countries as well.
Researchers at the University of Warwick Medical School in Coventry, England conducted the study. “Our purpose was to look at the existing data from eight different countries from both Africa and Asia. We came to estimate the prevalence of self-reported sleep problems across eight different populations. And also we tried to examine potential correlates of sleep problems in these populations,” said lead author Dr. Saverio Stranges.
The research was conducted in Ghana, Tanzania, South Africa, India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Indonesia and an urban area of Kenya. The study estimates 150 million adults in developing countries are suffering from sleep-related problems.
“There is biological evidence supporting the notion that sleep deprivation, for example, may impair important physiological functions, including, for example, appetite or neuro-regenerative responses. And also have an impact on the immune system, which may actually explain the association of sleep with occurrence of many chronic diseases,” he said.
New research shows that a lack of sleep is a growing health problem around the world. Sleeplessness has been linked to such chronic illnesses as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Lack of sleep is not just a problem in developed nations. It’s getting just as bad in developing countries as well.
The study “Sleep problems: An Emerging Global Epidemic” is published in the Journal SLEEP
