We ve already seen how sleep deprivation affects our risk of breast cancer, due to a lack of melatonin, a hormone that is produced during periods of sleep. However melatonin, or the lack of it, can be responsible for a lot more than just breast cancer risk.
Scientists at the Jichi Medical University in Tochigi, Japan have written in the journal archives of internal medicine that our modern lives mean that people are sleeping less and this is leading to increased incidents of cardiovascular disease. This report is backed up by a study that was carried out Warwick University found that those who got less than five hours sleep a night were running a seventy per cent higher risk of dying from anything at all and doubled their chances of dying from heart disease.
Now, we can take out private health insurance to ensure that most health issues will be dealt with promptly, we can eat healthily and give up the dreaded weed but lack of sleep will undo all that hard work and see us putting ourselves at huge risk of developing cancer or heart disease.
Private health insurance companies find that one of their most frequent claims are for those suffering heart disease. This is a health problem that often goes undetected until cardiac arrest and often this is too late. Many people who discover they have heart disease but who strive to look after themselves, are shocked to make this discovery. They would probably be even more shocked if they realised this was due to lack of sleep.
From crying babies, to noisy neighbours to the stresses and strains of everyday life, any number of things can lead to a broken night s sleep. Yet, on top of all these things, lack of sleep seems to be something that people bring on themselves. Many a time the phrase I ll sleep when I m dead has been thrown off the cuff. Yet, without a good night s sleep that could come sooner than you expect.
From burning the candle at both ends with work to endless partying, many people are putting their bodies under immense strain through lack of sleep. Maybe private health insurance companies will soon be adding a section to their application forms about sleep patterns because less sleep means higher risk in many areas.
In general, getting less than seven and a half hours sleep a night means that there is a 27 per cent increase in the chances of contracting some form of heart diseases. For those with blood pressure disorders, where the blood pressure is raised through the night, the chances of heart attack and stroke quadrupled.
Insufficient sleep is a factor in obesity as well as type two diabetes and high blood pressure. Given that high blood pressure and lack of good quality sleep go hand in hand when it comes to heart conditions, it seems logical that sleep is just as important as all the other things we do to look after our health.
Around 275,000 people every year in the UK will suffer a heart attack and 110,000 of these will die as a result. While you can t do much about an inherited heart condition, these people fall into the minority. Most heart conditions are preventable with diet, exercise and a decent night s sleep and it is this basic care that private health insurance companies like to see their customers carrying out to lower your premiums. It s not that difficult!
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