Insomnia in Heart Failure.

Insomnia is a mental condition that has a profound and well-documented effect on overall health and quality of life (QOL) in the general population (Figure). In a study of a community-dwelling population, insomnia was shown to be associated with depression and dementia.3,4 Insomnia can also lead to an unhealthy lifestyle and an abnormal autonomic nervous system and neuroendocrine system,5 and these changes increase the risk of obesity, arteriosclerosis, hypertension, diabetes, and heart failure (HF). The mechanism of the effect of insomnia on these lifestyle-related diseases is unclear, but it is possible that treatment of insomnia will prevent these diseases. Insomnia is also more prevalent in patients with chronic nsomnia is highly prevalent in patients with chronic conditions. In the International Classification of Sleep Disorders, insomnia is defined as “a repeated difficulty with sleep initiation, duration, consolidation, or quality that occurs despite adequate opportunity and circumstances for sleep, and results in some form of daytime impairment”.1 Thus, insomnia has 3 general traits: persistent sleep difficulty, adequate sleep opportunity, and associated daytime dysfunction. Insomnia is also classified into chronic, short-term, and other types.1,2