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Socio-economic costs of sleep disorders rise with lack of treatment

Written by: David Castillo on January 19th, 2011

Socio-economic costs of sleep disorders rise with lack of treatment | read this item

The Danish Institute for Health Services and the University of Copenhagen have come up with a research which followed the socio-economic costs of the sleep disorder hyperinsomnia. Researchers say that it all starts with people feeling excessively drowsy throughout their day and thus having to take naps several times.

Clinical Neurology Professor Poul Jennum at the University of Copenhagen Center for Health Aging explains hyperinsomnia as a type of symptom exhibited by patients who are suffering from sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, narcolepsy, loud snoring, restless leg syndrome as well as obesity-related breathing troubles. These patients were also found to be heavily dependent on medicine, health services and generally unemployed.

Researchers thus conclude that socio-economic consequences grow as sleep disorders get more severe. They were able to demonstrate how patients exhibiting hyperinsomnia were relying on state subsidized medication as compared to their healthy counterparts. Higher intake of medication and more frequent rate of hospitalization also coincided with increased rates of unemployment for patients who were left undiagnosed and not getting treatment.

Source: Times of India