Insomnia linked to suicidal tendencies

Michigan, April 1: In a new study, researchers have explored the fact that sleep disturbances are common among those who attempt suicide, emphasizing that good sleep is imperative for the general well being of a person.

Dr Marcin Wojnar, a researcher at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor who led the study, stated, "People with two or more sleep symptoms were 2.6 times more likely to report a suicide attempt than those without any insomnia complaints."

Wojnar and his team analyzed the association between insomnia and suicidal tendencies among 5,692 men and women in the United States in the previous year. Nearly a third of the volunteers had reported at least one sleep disorder. The symptoms included difficulty in falling asleep, trouble staying asleep or awakening earlier than needed.

After giving due consideration to issues like drugs, depressiondefine, age, gender, and marital and financial status, the researchers found an unmistakable association between waking up early and predisposition to commit suicide.

A vital link was observed for those who awakened early in the morning. Suicidal thoughts were nearly two fold in such people as opposed to those without sleep disorders in the last 12 months. These people were 2.1 times more likely to have planned suicide and nearly 2.7 times more likely to have tried to kill themselves.

A person finding it difficult to drift into slumber was dogged by thoughts of suicide and its execution. People who had trouble initiating sleep were 2.2 times more at a risk of harming themselves, and 1.9 times of being obsessed with ideas of suicide.

The researchers concluded that persons tormented by sleep disorders all night long, having fitful sleep and being unable to fall back to sleep were twice as likely to be haunted by suicidal thoughts and nearly three times more likely to have attempted it than those who had no sleep problems.

Dr Neil Stanley, a sleep expert at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, stated "This study reinforces the fact that good sleep is vital for good physical, mental and emotional health.

"It is another demonstration of the importance, both as an individual and as a society, of getting good sleep."

Insomnia is a universal condition affecting millions, though people are unaware of its serious consequences. In ordinary terms, it is referred to as lack of sleep that causes fatigue, anxiety and depression. Though it is not fatal, sleep deprivation is a terrible state of mind to be in.

Wojnar said, "The presence of sleep problems should alert doctors to assess such patients for a heightened risk of suicide even if they don’t have a psychiatric condition. Our findings also raise the possibility that addressing sleep problems could reduce the risk of suicidal behaviors."

The study was funded by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse, the U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health.

It was presented at the World Psychiatric Association International Congress in Florence, Italy.