Severe asthma is linked to insomnia, sleep duration, and sleep hygiene in adolescents. The findings were published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. The researchers aimed to better understand modifiable health behaviors which may relate to asthma control. They highlighted sleep as one of those behaviors, but stated that it typically does not receive that much attention in regard to asthma control.
The researchers examined sleep duration, insomnia, and sleep hygiene in adolescents without asthma and with asthma to establish the effects of these factors on asthma control. The adolescents completed online surveys which the researchers then analyzed.
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Sleep duration did not differ between the asthma group and non-asthma group, but asthma adolescents reported insufficient weekday sleep compared to the children without asthma (44 percent versus 31 percent, respectively). Asthma children also reported worsened sleep hygiene, and nearly double of asthma children reported insomnia, compared to children without asthma.
The researchers concluded that children with severe asthma experience insomnia, less sleep duration, and poorer sleep hygiene, when compared to children without asthma.
Asthma symptoms, nasal congestion as independent risk factors for insomnia
Both asthma and nasal congestion have been linked to insomnia. A study published in Asthma aimed to analyze the association between these conditions and insomnia to identify risk factors among asthma patients.
A postal questionnaire was sent out to over 45,000 Swedish residents with questions regarding insomnia, asthma, rhinitis, weight, height, tobacco use, and physical activity.
The study included 25,610 participants, and 1,830 patients were defined as asthmatics. Insomnia symptoms were significantly higher among asthmatics, compared to non-asthmatics. In those who reported asthma and nasal congestion, 55.8 percent had insomnia symptoms, compared to 35.3 percent in participants without asthma and nasal congestion. The risk of insomnia also increased as asthma symptoms worsened. Nasal congestion, obesity, tobacco use and smoking all increased risk of insomnia as well.
By better managing asthma symptoms and nasal congestion, a person can reduce their risk of insomnia. Lifestyle factors should be considered as risk factors and should be modified in order to reduce insomnia.
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Sources:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/all.12079/full
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213219814000701
Emily Lunardo studied medical sociology at York University with a strong focus on the social determinants of health and mental illness. She is a registered Zumba instructor, as well as a Canfit Pro trainer, who teaches fitness classes on a weekly basis. Emily practices healthy habits in her own life as well as helps others with their own personal health goals. Emily joined Bel Marra Health as a health writer in 2013.
