12 Mar Insomnia Linked to Increased Risk of Multiple Chronic Conditions

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Dr. Lee

Soomi Lee, PhD
Associate Professor | Department of Human Development and Family Studies | Center for Healthy Aging
Director of STEALTH Lab: https://sites.psu.edu/stealth/
The Pennsylvania State University

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?

Response:  Sleep quantity and quality decline with advancing age; a risk of chronic conditions also increases with age.

While previous studies report that poor sleep is a significant risk for chronic conditions, many have focused solely on a single dimension of sleep, such as duration, thereby limiting the ability to assess multiple co-occurring dimensions and their associations with chronic conditions.

This study aimed to evaluate multiple dimensions of sleep health, including regularity, satisfaction, alertness, efficiency, and duration. By analyzing data from a national sample of adults (n=3,683) collected over two time points spanning a decade, the study identified four distinct sleep health phenotypes: good sleepers, insomnia sleepers, weekend catch-up sleepers, and nappers.

 MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings?

Response:  The majority of participants maintained their sleep phenotype over the ten-year period, with nappers and insomnia sleepers exhibiting the highest stability. Notably, individuals identified as insomnia sleepers at both time points faced a 72-188% higher risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, depression, and frailty at the second time point, even after adjusting for conditions present at the initial assessment.

MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?

Response: -Being an insomnia sleeper at any point during adulthood may elevate the risk of developing chronic conditions. The insomnia sleeper phenotype is distinguished by sleep problems related to clinical insomnia symptoms, including short sleep duration, high daytime tiredness, and long sleep onset latency. 

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a results of this study?

Response:  Future efforts should be focused more on providing targeted sleep prevention or intervention programs to delay the onset of chronic conditions in later life.

Disclosures:  This study was supported by grants from NIH/National Institute on Aging.

Citation:

Soomi Lee et al, 10-year Stability of an Insomnia Sleeper Phenotype and Its Association with Chronic Conditions, Psychosomatic Medicine (2024). DOI: 10.1097/PSY.0000000000001288

The information on MedicalResearch.com is provided for educational purposes only, and is in no way intended to diagnose, cure, or treat any medical or other condition.

Some links may be sponsored. Products are not endorsed.

Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health and ask your doctor any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. In addition to all other limitations and disclaimers in this agreement, service provider and its third party providers disclaim any liability or loss in connection with the content provided on this website.

Last Updated on March 12, 2024 by Marie Benz MD FAAD