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Availability of drug-free treatment could help Britain’s two million insomnia sufferers perform better at work and at home
Posted on 29/12/2008
Availability of drug-free treatment could help Britain’s two million insomnia sufferers perform better at work and at home
A unique study of insomnia by Loughborough University’s Sleep Research Centre has found that chronic insomnia has a negative impact on both social and occupational performance.
Conducted by Professor Kevin Morgan and Beverley David, the study compared, over a nine-month period, people with insomnia and good sleepers on a range of social, occupational and psychological measures.
The study found that, when compared to good sleepers, people with insomnia have consistently higher levels of daytime anxiety and fatigue, a more negative mood, and an average 10% reduction in occupational performance.
Despite poor sleep and morning tiredness, people with insomnia were as able as good sleepers to get up for work and arrive on time. However, once at work, their ability to perform efficiently, and their overall job satisfaction was consistently impaired.
Speaking about the study, Professor Morgan said: “Overall, these results show that for many people, insomnia is neither a transient nor a trivial experience. Rather, insomnia is a major public health issue with serious personal and occupational consequences.
“With over 5% of the UK adult population suffering with insomnia the results show that effective treatment programmes for chronically disturbed sleep could help more than two million Britons perform better both at work and at home. Britain lags behind the rest of the world in developing a health strategy for insomnia, with sleeping tablets which frequently become a problem still the only solution offered to many.”
Professor Morgan believes that the effective treatment of insomnia must include Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), a psychological treatment that involves educating sufferers on how to change their behaviour and control their thoughts in order to promote better sleeping patterns. However CBT for the treatment of insomnia remains unavailable for most NHS patients.