Modern science
recognises more than 100 diseases related to sleep, because sleep disorders
that are left undiagnosed or untreated can result in drastic consequences for
health. Experts estimate that roughly one in ten suffers from some kind of
sleep disorder. This proportion is even higher among older people, with around
60 to 70 per cent of people over the age of 65 suffering from sleep disorders
to differing extents. A sleep disorder is defined as such if a person sleeps
for less than six hours a night in three out of seven nights over a period of
six months.
Sleep deprivation and its health consequences
Studies have
been finding for years that people who sleep too little or have to sleep at the
wrong times, for example, suffer from flu-like infections four times as often,
as their immune system is weakened as a result of the sleep deprivation. People
who have been working shifts for more than 10 years are at particular risk; the
WHO (World Health Organisation) has classified night shift work as carcinogenic.
The risk of breast cancer can increase by up to 65 per cent, while the risk of
intestinal and prostate cancer also rises drastically.
Other effects
The likelihood
of digestive system disorders, heart attack, stroke, diabetes, vascular
diseases, and also cancer, dementia and obesity is also increased many times
over. A lack of sleep can also result in impaired memory, lack of drive and
mood swings. In the worst cases, this may result in hallucinations or
depression.
Melatonin as a key hormone
The benefits of
melatonin in regulating and optimising the sleep/wake cycle have long been
proven. Especially as a chronotherapeutic drug, its value has been very
successfully proven, providing support in mitigating the risk of one of the
aforementioned diseases. And it has also been demonstrated that melatonin is
highly tolerable over a longer period time, even at higher dosages. There is
also no risk of addiction and/or dependency.
https://melatoninfacts.org/sleep/
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