More than a third of the population is not getting enough sleep. It?s not healthy to be drained and fatigued throughout the day, craving caffeinated beverages and sugar rushes, but it?s certainly way too common. Unfortunately, fatigue has been accepted as a part of western life.
Now, a new study jolts us back to reality. Sleeping six or fewer hours per night is inadequate to sustain health and safety in adults. Adults need sleep just as much as children do, seven hours or more to be specific, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and Sleep Research Society.
More On This Sleep Study
The study was conducted by a Consensus Panel of 15 of the nation?s foremost sleep experts over a 12-month period. The 15 experts used a modified RAND Appropriateness Method to develop a recommendation for sleep duration that promotes optimal health in adults 18 to 60 years of age.
Dangers of Sleep Deprivation
50 to 70 million Americans are affected by chronic sleep disorders. According to the National Institutes of Health, untreated sleep disorders have been linked to hypertension, heart disease, stroke, depression, diabetes and other chronic diseases.
In a report by the Institute of Medicine titled, Sleep Disorders and Sleep Deprivation: An Unmet Public Health Problem, hundreds of billions of dollars are spent a year on medical costs related to sleep disorders.
Sleep disorders have a negative effect on work productivity, behavior and relationships. Furthermore, drowsy driving claims more than 1,500 lives and causes at least 100,000 motor vehicle crashes each year. Sleep deprivation is a deadly problem in America but it keeps getting swept under the rug.
When I dreamed of being an adult, I never imagined I would spend most of that time so tired.
Even when I get a full night’s rest, I can wake the next day feeling fatigued and more irritable than I was the previous day.
It isn’t enough to get a certain amount of hours, the quality of that sleep is vital.
Below we’ve listed and dissected some of the major causes of pho-sleep. Fixing up our sleeping habits takes time and dedication. Don’t expect it to happen over night.
Not Enough Exercise
Daily exercise should be a part of everyone’s day, regardless of how well you are sleeping. Exercise encourages productive habits throughout your day and depending on how hard you work out, it can make you sleep harder, more restfully.
Depression/Stress
If your sleep patterns aren’t affording you deep and rejuvenating rest, even the best of us will start to lose strength of will and mental clarity. Unless the situation is clearly acknowledged and dealt with, it can snowball into craziness seemingly overnight.
Forgive yourself and remind yourself often that a lot of the emotional content you’re dealing with is being multiplied by fatigue and your misplaced attentions. Slow down and really examine the cause and effect.
