Insomnia can lead to long-term health problems like diabetes and cardiovascular disease

BOSTON - New research shows that chronic sleep deprivation can lead to long-term health problems.

Researchers at Penn State looked at the sleep habits of nearly 3,700 adults in the U.S. and classified them into four "sleep types":  good sleepers, insomniacs, people who use weekends to catch up on sleep, and habitual nappers. They found that people with insomnia, over time, were more likely to develop cardiovascular disease, diabetes, depression, and frailty. But being a weekend catch-up sleeper was not associated with these chronic conditions.

They also found that people were unlikely to change their sleep patterns over the course of 10 years, perhaps because sleep is such an integral part of our overall lifestyle or many people still don't know about the importance of sleep on overall health.

Three simple ways to improve your sleep hygiene are to avoid using cell phones in bed, exercise regularly, and avoid caffeine in the late afternoon. 

In:
• Health
• Sleep

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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