Chronic insomnia, anxiety disorder linked

BERGEN, Norway, July 6 (UPI) -- Chronic insomnia can increase a person's chances of developing anxiety disorders and depression, according to a Norwegian study.

Dr. Dag Neckelmann, of Haukeland University Hospital, in Bergen, Norway, compared more than 25,000 adults and found a relationship between the course of chronic insomnia and the development of anxiety disorders and depression.

"From a clinical point of view, these results imply that individuals reporting chronic insomnia, in addition to receiving adequate treatment for their sleep disturbance, should be carefully examined for the presence of anxiety disorder as well as depression," Neckelmann said in a statement.

Focusing on chronic insomnia as a symptom may facilitate the early detection of a mental disorder as well as the detection of co-morbidity, according to the study published in the journal Sleep.

Although it has not yet been demonstrated, alleviating chronic insomnia may reduce the risk of developing anxiety disorders, said Neckelmann.

Insomnia is a sleep disorder in which a person has trouble falling asleep, has trouble staying asleep, and/or is waking up too early.