The Nightmare Effects of Insomnia and Anxiety

The effects of long-term anxiety and no sleep on the body are even more serious; the entire body is now at risk, not just every day functions. Peter Lambrou, Ph.D., chair of psychology at Scripps Memorial Hospital, Calif., stated: "Physiological problems include disorders of the brain and nervous system; cardiovascular disease; metabolic and hormone disregulations, including obesity, diabetes and hypertension; and the increased susceptibility to infections and other diseases. ... Furthermore, when one risk factor is coupled with other stress producing factors, the effect on blood pressure is multiplied.  High blood pressure is associated with stroke, kidney and cardiovascular diseases. Other problems resulting from stress include drug or alcohol abuse/dependence; over-eating, overweight, and obesity; and poor emotional regulation, which affects relationships and work.”

Ironically, the phrase "long-term damage" is relative, as the harmful effects of sleeplessness can start as early as childhood. A 2008 study from CaseWestern ReserveUniversity, Cleveland, assessed whether insufficient sleep is associated with pre-hypertension in healthy adolescents.1 Researchers undertook a cross-sectional analysis of healthy 238 adolescents, ages 13 through 16, without sleep disorders. Teens who slept for less than 6.5 hours each night had higher systolic blood pressure than other children, with the average amount of sleep necessary for teens falling around 9 hours per night.

Children with short sleep duration are also at risk for future obesity.2 A study review in 2008 from the same university discovered findings in both cross-sectional and cohort studies of children suggested short sleep duration is strongly and consistently associated with concurrent and future obesity. However, researchers stated major study design limitations preclude definitive conclusions. Further research with objective measures of sleep duration, repeated assessments of both sleep and weight, and experimental study designs that manipulate sleep are needed to better define the causal relationship of sleep deprivation on obesity.

Current obesity, however, seems to absolutely affect children's sleep quality, according to a study from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.3 Researchers examined specific sleep stages, including rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and stages 1 through 4 of non-REM sleep, in a total of 335 children and adolescents (aged 7-17 years) who underwent three consecutive nights of standard polysomnography and weight and height assessments. Scientists found body mass index (BMI) was significantly related to total sleep time, sleep efficiency and REM density. Compared with normal-weight children, overweight children slept about 22 minutes less and had lower sleep efficiency, shorter REM sleep, lower REM activity and density, and longer latency to the first REM period. As well as high blood pressure and obesity, lack of sleep and anxiety in children can lead to a low energy level and an inefficient metabolic rate.4

As previously mentioned, insomnia and anxiety take a hefty mental toll, and not just on day-to-day tasks, such as concentration, Brad Douglass, Ph.D., technical advisor to Jarrow Formulas, explained. "Chronic stress can lead to depression through the effects of persistently elevated cortisol levels on the body’s hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis." He added elevated cortisol levels, in time, can also lead to mental illness. For example, seizures have recently been found to be caused by high levels of stress.5 A 2008 study from The Occupational Clinic, Tel-Aviv, Israel, examined medical records of more than 300,000 18-year-old men, recruited to the Israeli army between mid-80s and mid-90s, which were used to assemble a cohort and followed for a period of 30 months. The severity of epilepsy at recruitment was determined according to four categories: 0 (no history of seizures) and 1-3 (history of seizures with different relapse-free periods, with or without treatment). The annual incidence of seizures per 100,000 men from category 0 was 1,016, leading researchers to conclude the increased risk of seizures stem from physical and mental stress.

One note of caution: People with extreme cases of insomnia and anxiety, such as those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or a severe chemical imbalance, should only be treated by a physician. "It's always important to ensure that a serious sleep problem is not caused by some underlying medical problem, such as an endocrine (thyroid) disorder, cancer, apnea or other condition," Lambrou said retailers would do well to protect themselves and their customers by suggesting those seeking advice on stress relievers and/or sleep aids visit their health care provider first for a complete check-up, before turning to dietary supplements. If they're given a clean bill of health, retailers can recommend several natural products that can be used to help those suffering from every day stressors and occasional periods of sleeplessness.