Dr. Mercola September 22 2005 1,895 views
A new study suggests that daytime sleepiness could be a sign of depression or even diabetes, regardless of whether or not an individual is sleeping well.
A Stronger Connection Than InsomniaFrom a sample of 16,500 men and women, 8.7 percent suffered from excessive daytime sleepiness. Researchers found that it was associated more strongly with depression, obesity and metabolic factors than with sleep disruption.
Depression was the most significant risk factor, resulting in a likelihood of daytime sleepiness more than three times higher than in those who are not depressed.Close ties between daytime sleepiness and diabetes were also observed. Diabetics were almost twice as likely to report daytime sleepiness. Obesity also increased the likelihood of daytime sleepiness.
Age, Smoking Also Factors
Other interesting findings included:
Sleep is a commonly underappreciated yet vital contributor to your health. I've reported several times that the amount of sleep you get affects your likelihood of getting diabetes; it now appears that the connection may work both ways. This isn't surprising given the way your body works. Poor health care is a cycle, a constant downward spiral, and the worse off you are, the worse it tends to get. For example, lack of exercise contributes to obesity, which makes it harder to exercise, which leads to greater obesity. Similarly, eating sugar causes you to crave more sugar. Fortunately, if you are on a downward health spiral the good news is that it is reversible, as the principle also works in reverse. The healthier you are, the easier it is to stay healthy. For the examples above, once you cut out sugar and start exercising, you'll find that your sugar cravings stop and exercising becomes easier and easier with each passing day. The same applies to sleep. Start practicing good sleep habits now, and keep yourself from getting illnesses that will make it harder and harder for you to maintain a healthy sleep pattern in the future. Check out my Guide to a Good Night's Sleep for some practical advice on the subject. If you have major struggles with sleep, one of the most passive, effective and easiest solutions I have found is listening to the sound of white noise or nature sounds, such as the ocean or forest. An excellent relaxation/meditation option to listen to before bed is the Insight audio CD. In addition to the white noise, it also resonates your brain waves to slow down. It is an amazing solution to address the chronic worries and anxieties typically associated with insomnia.
Sleep is a commonly underappreciated yet vital contributor to your health. I've reported several times that the amount of sleep you get affects your likelihood of getting diabetes; it now appears that the connection may work both ways.
This isn't surprising given the way your body works. Poor health care is a cycle, a constant downward spiral, and the worse off you are, the worse it tends to get. For example, lack of exercise contributes to obesity, which makes it harder to exercise, which leads to greater obesity. Similarly, eating sugar causes you to crave more sugar.
Fortunately, if you are on a downward health spiral the good news is that it is reversible, as the principle also works in reverse. The healthier you are, the easier it is to stay healthy. For the examples above, once you cut out sugar and start exercising, you'll find that your sugar cravings stop and exercising becomes easier and easier with each passing day.
The same applies to sleep. Start practicing good sleep habits now, and keep yourself from getting illnesses that will make it harder and harder for you to maintain a healthy sleep pattern in the future. Check out my Guide to a Good Night's Sleep for some practical advice on the subject.
If you have major struggles with sleep, one of the most passive, effective and easiest solutions I have found is listening to the sound of white noise or nature sounds, such as the ocean or forest. An excellent relaxation/meditation option to listen to before bed is the Insight audio CD. In addition to the white noise, it also resonates your brain waves to slow down. It is an amazing solution to address the chronic worries and anxieties typically associated with insomnia.