NHS warning signs of 'silent killer' disease suffered by millions of people

The NHS has outlined the warning signs of the 'silent killer' disease suffered by millions of people across the UK.

Anyone who has been feeling a little under the weather recently will know that health really is wealth.

But it's clear that keeping healthy is way more than simply hitting the gym, eating your five-a-day and getting your steps in.

The NHS has shared the symptoms of the 'silent killer' that can seriously damage your health. (Oleg Breslavtsev / Getty Images)

Having a good sleeping pattern is actually incredibly important for both our physical health and our mental wellbeing. We also all need different amounts of sleep.

For example, us adults need between seven to nine hours of shut-eye per night while kids need nine to 13 hours kip and toddlers and babies need up to anywhere between 12 to 17 hours.

Now, there are a whole bunch of handy tips and tricks when it comes to getting the best night's sleep but, unfortunately for some people, drifting off is a lot harder than simply counting sheep.

For anyone who has problems regularly sleeping, you may have insomnia.

Symptoms of insomnia include irritability and difficulty concentrating in the daytime. (Photographer, Basak Gurbuz Derman / Getty Images)

According to the NHS, you have insomnia if you regularly; find it hard to go to sleep, wake up several times during the night, lie awake at night, wake up early and cannot go back to sleep, still feel tired after waking up, find it hard to nap during the day even though you're tired, feel tired and irritable during the day and find it difficult to concentrate during the day because you're tired.

The official NHS website explains that the common causes of insomnia are; stress, anxiety or depression, noise, a room that's too hot or cold, uncomfortable beds, alcohol, caffeine or nicotine, illegal drugs like cocaine or ecstasy, jet lag and shift work.

And it's clear there's many way health concerns at risk than some dark circles and morning grogginess if you exhibit insomniac behaviour.

According to a report published by the Sleep Charity, just in one in 20 people polled were actually aware of the links between having a dodgy sleep schedule and some pretty serious health concerns, with related problems supposedly including; stroke, infertility and even cancer.

Sleep disorders can lead to some pretty major physical and mental health conditions. (Maskot / Getty Images)

Lisa Artis, deputy chief executive of the Sleep Charity, said: "While public health campaigns around healthy eating and physical activity have been ongoing for decades, sleep has been left in the 'solutions box' despite evidence showing poor sleep increases mortality by 13 percent and is linked with major physical and mental health conditions. We believe it's high time this changed."

Lisa continued: "At a time when the government has never been more focused on preventative measures to tackle ill health, our report clearly demonstrates that sleep can play an oversized role in supporting this ambition and positively impacting all six of the major health conditions in the UK, including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, dementia, and mental ill health."

For more information on insomnia, go to the NHS website here.

Tyla has reached out to the NHS for comment.