World Sleep Day: Insomnia, Leading Cause of Sleep Disorders

According to the World Health Organization, “health” is a state of total physical, mental, and social well-being that extends beyond the mere absence of disease or infirmity. Numerous studies conducted over several decades have shown that sleep plays a vital role in promoting overall well-being in terms of physical, mental, and social health.

Why is sleep important?

Getting sufficient sleep is just as critical as consuming a nutritious diet and engaging in physical activity. Despite its significant impact on our lives, sleep is often disregarded. Sleep is a vital component that directly influences our daytime functioning. It is essential for promoting healthy brain activity and physical well-being. In children and adolescents, it is especially important for supporting growth and development. The quality of our sleep has a direct impact on our moods, cognitive abilities, productivity, learning capacity, and social interactions. Furthermore, research has shown that sleep quality has a significant effect on our heart, circulatory, metabolism, respiratory, and immune system.

How is sleep essential to health?

Like nutrition and physical activity, it is an essential component of overall health:

• It helps support memory and learning.
• It helps clear waste from the brain and promotes brain health.
• It supports brain health, and brain health supports sleep.
• It supports immune health, and immune health supports sleep.
• It helps the immune system to clear bacteria and viruses.
• It helps to recycle old cells and maintain our bodies and energy levels.
• Sleep health is unevenly distributed across populations and is an important target for improving health equity.

What are the main causes of poor-quality sleep?

Sleep disorders involve a range of challenges that hinder our ability to achieve restorative sleep. These issues can be related to the quantity, quality, and timing of sleep, and can have significant impacts on our daily lives, often leading to distress and impaired functioning. Sleep disorders are often interlinked with mental health conditions like anxiety and depression, resulting in a vicious cycle where poor sleep quality exacerbates these conditions, and vice versa. While there are various types of sleep disorders, insomnia is the most prevalent.

What does Mediktor’s data extraction show?

Based on Mediktor’s database, insomnia has been identified as the most prevalent sleep disorder diagnosis over the past six years, accounting for 83% of cases. Insufficient sleep can negatively impact one’s mood and interactions with the external world. “Sleep difficulty” is the primary symptom that leads individuals to seek medical attention for insomnia, followed closely by “sad mood,” indicating a strong connection between mental health and adequate sleep patterns.