You’re Not Sleeping Enough

[su_right_ad]This is true of most Americans and it is damaging your health.

The two-hour “Sleepless in America,” a collaboration by NatGeo, National Institutes of Health and The Public Good Projects, debuted on Sunday night. The gist: Everyone is tired. No one gets enough sleep. And then this: Chronic sleep deprivation could have irreparable damage to your health.

Although there is debate about the magic number of sleeping hours, experts here recommend a solid eight. That said, 40 percent of American adults are sleep-deprived; the average American sleeps less than seven hours per night during the week. Meanwhile, 70 percent of adolescents also fall behind the recommended amount.

Lack of sleep is a serious problem in our constantly moving, 24/7 society: People are getting thousands of hours less sleep than they once were. As the documentary puts it, sleep is being “decimated” by our overstimulated culture with so much technology and gadgetry that distracts everyone all the time. Plus, people are overworked, so they no longer have enough time to do the things they want during the week. As a result, they stay up even later on weekends so they can compensate….

When sleep gets shorter than seven hours a night, there’s evidence that there’s an increased risk for obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and even Alzheimer’s disease. The film also interviewed David Gozal at University of Chicago, a doctor who conducted a study linking an increased risk for cancer to lack of sleep…

When you sleep, the brain clears out toxic chemicals — and one of the proteins that accumulates in the brain while you’re awake is associated with Alzheimer’s disease.[su_csky_ad]

D.B. Hirsch

D.B. Hirsch is a political activist, news junkie, and retired ad copy writer and spin doctor. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.