diseases

A sleep medicine specialist called the World Health Organization, and through a research study conducted by him, to classify sleeplessness and sleep deprivation from the main non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease and chronic respiration, indicating the health consequences of lack of sleep and its danger equal to the seriousness of chronic diseases.

Reduced sleep hours

Dr. Ahmed Salem Bahamam, director of the University Center for Sleep Medicine and Research at King Saud University, told Al-Watan: “Over the past three or four decades, it has been observed that the average total number of hours of sleep obtained per night by ordinary individuals has decreased. Parallel to this, global research indicates that insufficient sleep is associated with severe and serious health and social impacts. Moreover, insufficient sleep has been linked to seven of the 15 main causes of death, and current scientific evidence indicates that sleep plays an important role in determining Cognitive performance and productivity in the workplace, so there is an urgent need to conduct a systematic analysis of the economic impact of insufficient sleep, especially since the current evidence indicates an increase in the phenomenon of sleeplessness all over the world ».

Applicability of conditions

Bahamam emphasized through his scientific research that all the conditions of "major non-communicable diseases" set by the world organization apply to staying up late and sleep deprivation. Therefore, he suggested to the World Health Organization and other health authorities to include staying up late and sleep deprivation within the "main non-communicable diseases" because of their danger. The major health issues, according to what has been proven by solid scientific research, and because it combines all the elements that characterize "major non-communicable diseases" under the name of "insufficient sleep syndrome".

This syndrome is known and has its specific diagnostic conditions, which are stipulated in the International Classification of Diseases and the Global Classification of Sleep Disorders. He also explained that “insufficient sleep syndrome” is a chronic disorder that has a close relationship with environmental and behavioral factors, and it can also be affected by genetic factors, because the recent data It appears that some people are more susceptible to the consequences of sleep deprivation. In addition, “insufficient sleep syndrome” has a great impact on health, so all the conditions of “major non-communicable diseases” apply to “insufficient sleep syndrome”.

Insufficient sleep syndrome

Bahamam indicated that the World Health Organization classifies some important non-communicable diseases under the name of "main non-communicable diseases". This group includes four main diseases: "cardiovascular diseases (such as heart attacks and stroke), cancers, and chronic respiratory diseases (such as lung disease)." Chronic obstructive and asthma), and diabetes.

These diseases cause about 70% of all deaths annually. These diseases tend to be long-term, and are the result of a combination of genetic, physiological, environmental and behavioral factors.

Sleep minimum

Bahamam mentioned that the number of hours of sleep that a normal person needs varies from one person to another, but it is certain that the number of hours that the same person needs is always constant, although a person may sleep more in one night than in another night, but the number of hours that he sleeps A person during a week or a month is a constant habit, and he said: “Many people think that the number of hours of sleep needed per day is eight hours, and if we want more accuracy, most people sleep from 7 to 7.5 hours per day, and this number is the average number of hours for most people , But it does not necessarily mean that every person needs that number of hours, because a person’s sleep ranges from less than 3 hours for some to more than 10 hours for others.

In a study by the National Center for Health Statistics in the United States of America, it was found that two out of ten people sleep less than 6 hours per night, and one in ten sleeps 9 hours or more per night. People who sleep less than 6 hours are called short sleepers, and those who sleep more than 9 hours are called long sleepers, but they are normal in the sense that the number of hours of sleep that a person needs if he is normal and does not suffer from any sleep disease does not affect his productivity and creativity.

Important recommendations

The scientific paper recommended public health authorities around the world to increase public awareness of the benefits of sleep, as well as to encourage employers that require shift work to pay attention to sleep issues. There should also be a strong focus on public health education for sleep, and the importance of including sleep as an essential component of a healthy life through health education policies, as this will protect against diseases and deaths resulting from insufficient sleep.

The health consequences of lack of sleep

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