The Cost of Sleep Deprivation

Friday, April 1, 2016

Some news isn't new but an important reminder that we have to keep working on our quality of life. I am one of those people who have a very hard time sleeping through the night. In the most stressful period of time in my life when I had young children, worked full time at a bank and had a significant volunteer "job" I remember sleeping only 3 to 4 hours a night. Regularly I would only get 2 hours. It was a difficult time and I was always tired. I struggled with weight and food cravings. Now I get about 5 to 6 hours of sleep a night. Not as much as I should but a big improvement  and I am always working on it. As you will see below it is really important to keep working on it because chronic sleep deprivation has serious consequences regarding our risk of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and many other health problems. Read on--

More than one-third of Americans—some 84 million people—aren’t getting enough sleep, research from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveals. An analysis of the sleep habits of more than 400,000 adults reveals that on average, only 65 percent sleep seven or more hours each night—the minimum amount recommended for good health. Previous research has shown that chronic sleep deprivation greatly increases the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and psychological problems. 

Race and economic status plays a role: Two-thirds of whites and Hispanics report getting a healthy amount of sleep, but only about 50 percent of black people say the same. Adequate sleep is also more common among college graduates and those with jobs than among people who are unemployed or have less education. To get more shut-eye, the CDC’s Wayne Giles tells NBCNews.com, people should adopt “lifestyle changes such as going to bed at the same time each night and rising at the same time each morning,” as well as “turning off or removing televisions, computers, and mobile devices from the bedroom.” 

Source: The Week


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