We know that lack of sleep has a number of negative health effects.
Today we can add one more to the list: fibromyalgia.
A study out of Norway looked at 12,350 women aged 20 and over and found that those who reported problems with sleep were more likely to develop the condition.
Over the course of 10 years, only 2.6% of the women developed fibromyalgia, yet amongst those who reported sleep problems, the rate was 2.98% for those aged between 20 and 44, and 5.41% amongst those over 45 years of age.
It's worth noting that the authors of this research say that more studies are needed before we can determine whether a lack of sleep can actually cause fibromyalgia; I think that the sooner people are treated for sleep disorders such as insomnia, the fewer negative health effects (such as fibromyalgia) there will be.
Source: Arthritis & Rheumatism Journal
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Last updated: September 24, 2013
