More veterans today have sleep disorders, new study reveals

Sleep is very important, and I’m quite sure you know that already. However, some aspects of life–like habits, even smartphones, and stress in work–affect our sleep cycles. A CDC-backed study published in February of this year has found that about a third of Americans aren’t getting enough sleep. Multiple factors affect the country’s snooze patterns, and one of which is routine. Many people, researchers at the CDC say, are not prioritizing sleep.

So how can you force yourself to go early in bed? Well, this new research that we’ll discuss might convince you to review your priorities and put sleep above many, because you still can.

A new study published in the journal SLEEP this month reveals that U.S. veterans are having sleep disorders. James Burch, PhD–the senior author of the research and an associate professor in University of South Carolina–has told the journal’s online publication that their team has seen a very high sleep disorder prevalence of sixteen percent among veterans with PTSD–or post traumatic stress disorder–and it is the highest that they have found among the health conditions and other population characteristics that they’ve examined.

In the sample of more than nine point seven million veterans in America, the age-adjusted prevalence of sleep disorders increased, says researchers, from less than a percent in the year 2000 to about six percent in 2010. That is to say, more of our veterans, about six folds more, aren’t getting enough sleep that they need today.

Researchers has found that among the sleep disorder diagnosis, sleep apnea was the most common with forty-seven percent, followed by insomnia with twenty-six percent. Meanwhile, veterans that have cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other chronic diseases also experienced higher rates of sleep disorder diagnoses compared to those who didn’t have the conditions.

Dr. Burch says they didn’t establish a direct link between PTSD and sleep disorder due to the methodology of the research. However, he also revealed that they have recently completed a follow-up study that will examine such connection.