Mental Illness Can Shorten Life Span as Much as Smoking

MONDAY, May 26, 2014 (HealthDay News) — Serious mental illness can take between seven and 24 years off a person’s life, which is similar to or worse than the impact of heavy smoking, researchers report.

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Sleep Disorder in Elderly

Normal adults require 6-8 hours of sleep. Children need longer hours of sleep but the elderly need shorter (4-5) hours. Sleep disorder is a disruption in sleep pattern.

Common causes of sleep disorders are:

• Life style shift work
• Physical problems e.g. pain, difficulty in breathing, frequent urination at night
• Psychological or psychiatric disorders e.g.schizophrenia , depression , anxiety disorders , stress etc.
• Drugs and alcohol abuse
• Environment - too noisy

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