Research has linked poor sleep to poor health, but little is known about how sleep affects daily functioning, said Friedman, a gerontologist at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. Trouble with sleep is also linked to obesity and inflammation, which both increase the risk of disability. Andrew Lim of the University of Toronto, who studies sleep and health effects, pointed out that the study did not look at which aspects of poor sleep are linked to disability.Trouble with sleep is also linked to obesity and inflammation, which both increase the risk of disability.For the new study, Friedman analyzed survey data collected in 1995-1996 and then again in 2004-2006 from 3,620 people between the ages of 24 and 75 at the outset.The researchers also looked at other potential influences on disability such as demographic factors, health conditions, obesity, and smoking, to ensure that these were not causing the issues. However, for the more advanced instrumental tasks, younger and middle aged people with sleep issues saw greater declines.In adults of all ages, chronic sleep problems were linked with a greater risk of trouble with activities of daily living later in life, in a recent study."Most people don't get sufficient sleep - as a culture we tend to devalue sleep - and we tend to underestimate the potential impact of not getting adequate sleep," lead author Elliot Friedman told aluminum mascara case manufacturers Reuters Health by email.At both surveys, about 11 per cent of participants reported chronic sleep issues."
"Greater focus on adequate sleep could have broad health benefits, including reducing peoples' risk of disability as they age into their later years," Friedman said. They also reported on their ability to complete more difficult 'instrumental' tasks such as bending over, vacuuming, carrying groceries, climbing stairs, walking a mile, or running. Research has linked poor sleep to poor health, but little is known about how sleep affects daily functioning.Among participants who were disability-free at the first survey, those who had sleep problems were twice as likely to be having trouble with daily living tasks 10 years later and 70 per cent more likely to develop trouble with instrumental tasks.Age had no effect on the changes in daily living tasks between the two surveys. "Sleep long enough that one is not sleepy during the day," he added. "Sleep in a quiet, dark environment, and keep a quiet, dark environment in the hours before bed."Friedman added that trouble with sleep is also linked to obesity and inflammation, which both increase the risk of disability.Lim, who was not involved in the study, also noted that poor sleep can be related to other issues like joint pain, mental illness or heart disease, and these conditions might be the true cause of the disability seen at the later follow-up.
