Sleep and insomnia

Nurses commonly ask their patients whether they have slept well to ascertain if their sleep has been disrupted or is disordered. Indeed, the topic of sleep has recently attracted more attention with the realisation that it has a physiological function and that insufficient, as well excessive sleep, can have detrimental consequences for the individual. To date, research evidence suggests that sleep has a role in homeostasis, regulation of the endocrine and immune systems, clearance of neurotoxins, receptor turnover and aspects of cognition (memory, concentration, mood and performance) (Iranzo, 2022; Siegel, 2022).

An overview of systematic reviews published between 2008-2018, which included 4 437 101 participants from across 30 countries and reported on 14 outcomes (mortality, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, mental health, neurodegenerative disease, cognitive function, falls, accidents/injuries, obesity, biomarkers of cardiometabolic risk, bone health, health-related quality of life, work productivity and physical activity) found that the dose-response curves showed that sleep duration of 7-8 hours per day were most associated with health among adults and older adults (Chaput at el, 2020). The effect of age was not apparent.