Having Sleepless Nights? You May Be at Risk of Asthma

Don't be all wish for a good night's sleep to take away the tiredness? We wish it even while working, commuting, being stuck on deadlines, etc. Good sleep doesn't come easy for all. In this competitive world, stress is everywhere; right from home, to the office and even on weekends. Continuous stress and mental burden from work and society leads to poor sleeping habits, often referred to as Insomnia. If you are an insomniac, having poor sleep quality or facing difficulties in maintaining good sleep, we suggest you take some serious measures to treat it rather than suffering. Poor sleep routine may also lead to asthma, suggests a recent study conducted at Norwegian University of Science and Technology.

"Insomnia, defined as having difficulties initiating or maintaining sleep, or having poor sleep quality, is common among asthma patients, but whether insomnia patients have a higher risk of developing asthma at a later stage has not been thoroughly investigated," said Dr Linn Beate Strand, Sleep researcher and author of the study.

Asthma affects approximately 300 million people worldwide, with major risk factors including smoking, obesity and air pollution. "The study found that those people with chronic insomnia had more than three times the risk of developing asthma, suggesting that any changes in the body due to insomnia may accumulate and result in more severe harmful effects on the airways," said lead author Ben Brumpton, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Norway.

Along with asthma insomniacs are likely to develop symptoms of depression and anxiety as well in adulthood. The study, published in the European Respiratory Journal, used statistical analysis to assess the risk of asthma among 17,927 participants aged between 20 and 65 years in Norway. The results showed that those participants reporting difficulty falling asleep "often" or "almost every night" during the last month had a 65 per cent and 108 per cent increased risk of developing asthma over the following 11 years, respectively. Similarly, those who reported waking too early without being able to go back to sleep "often" or "almost every night" had a 92 per cent and 36 per cent increased risk of developing asthma.

"As insomnia is a manageable condition, an increased focus on the adverse health effects of insomnia could be helpful in the prevention of asthma," suggested Linn Beate Strand, NTNU.