14 DAY TRIAL // Scientists say that people who have trouble sleeping may be at an increased risk of developing metabolic syndromes. Furthermore, the individuals affected by such issues in a chronic manner may already by suffering from the conditions.
By sleep problems, researchers refer to a variety of disturbances that occur during sleep, or which replace it. These include troubles falling asleep, a tendency to get out of bed feeling tired and so on.
When compared to people who are able to rest after a full night of sleep, individuals with sleep disorders exhibited a significantly higher risk, of about 92 percent, to develop metabolic syndromes.
This condition is actually made up of a wide array of risk factors, some of which include diabetes, stroke, cardiovascular diseases (CVD), and heart troubles, LiveScience reports.
People are considered at risk if they exhibit anomalous concentrations of various chemicals in their bodies. Excessive abdominal fat, low levels of the good cholesterol (HDL), high levels of sugars in the blood and high blood pressure are all indicators of risk.
But the new work also revealed that the same correlation applies to people who get sleep, but snore loudly while doing so. When compared to a control group, these individuals were twice more likely to develop metabolic syndrome over a short period, of only three years.
Full details of the new investigation were published yesterday, December 1, in the esteemed scientific journal Sleep. The work was conducted by experts at the University of Pittsburgh, in the US.
Those who snored loudly “had a more than two-fold increased risk of developing high blood sugar (hyperglycemia), and were 92 percent more likely to have low levels of 'good' cholesterol,” explains UP study researcher Wendy Troxel.
She holds an appointment as an assistant professor of psychiatry and psychology at the university. Her team looked at track records of more than 800 adults, all aged 45 to 74.
The risk of developing metabolic syndrome was 70 percent higher for test participants who often reported experiencing sleep that left them as tired as when they went to bed.
The findings are very worrying, considering that an estimated 24 percent of women and 40 percent of men are believed to be snorers. The new findings may go a long way towards explaining the current diabetes and obesity epidemics sweeping America.
Among the most common effects of sleep disturbances, experts include sleepiness and fatigue, which can make people become less active. Therefore, individuals may be tempted to adopt a sedentary lifestyle.
Such a choice comes with its already-known effects, all of which contribute to deteriorating public health.