Every third Swede suffers sleeping disorder: study

One in three Swedes suffer from some type of sleeping disorder, a new survey of 25,000 adults has shown.

• Doc went on holiday as Swede's cancer spread (22 May 13)
• Asthma and allergies on the rise for Swedish kids (13 May 13)
• Sucking pacifiers clean good for infants' health: Swedish study (7 May 13)

The study, published in the February issue of the renowned Allergy journal, shows that smokers and those suffering from obesity and asthma are particularly at risk.

"That sleep disorders are so common among people with asthma and congestion indicates that the (available) treatments don't work as well as they could," Fredrik Sundbom at Uppsala University Hospital told the local Uppsala Nya Tidning daily.

The study interviewed both women and men in Stockholm, Gothenburg, Uppsala and Umeå, with questions covering subjects such as exercise habits, sleep, breathing conditions and tobacco use.

Around a third reported sleeping disorders, including finding it hard to fall asleep, waking several times during the night, and waking up early in the morning without being able to fall back to sleep.

The existence of asthma was the single most significant cause of sleeping disorders found in the survey, with over half of sufferers (some seven percent of total respondents) reporting sleep problems.

For those who don't suffer from asthma but still suffer from sleeping disorders, Fredrik Sundbom recommended lifestyle changes with set bed-times and increased physical activity.

"And for those who snore and are particularly tired during the day there is cause to undergo an examination to establish whether they suffer from the so-called sleep apnoea syndrome," he told the newspaper.