Sleep problems a growing health hazard

09:26, 24 July 2014

PARIS. KAZINFORM There has been much talk about obesity as a global health problem in recent years. But another health hazard causing problems for a growing number of people is sleep.

An estimated one third of people in Europe suffer from sleep problems, especially insomnia.

But only 20 percent get medical treatment.

And it gets worse with age. Half the population aged over 65 has trouble finding sleep or sleeping through the night.

To better understand this phenomenon, euronews went to the psychiatric hospital Le Vinatier in Lyon to speak to a sleep specialist. We met Doctor Alain Nicolas, a psychiatrist specialising in sleep problems, the euronews reports.

Claudio Rocco, euronews: "Has there been an increase in sleep problems in recent decades, or have we simply become more aware of them?"

Doctor Alain Nicolas: "Progress in sleep medicine over the past 30 to 40 years has made us more aware of these problems, especially in Europe. But on top of that, a growing number of people are complaining about sleep problems in general, and about insomnia in particular, because there is much more social pressure about the issue of sleep."

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