Importance of Sleep
by Patrick Austin

Sleep is vital to our health and well being. Unfortunately, people seem to ignore the importance of sleep and millions of us are cutting ourselves short on the amount of sleep that we get, opening ourselves up to a whole host of problems.

The importance of sleep is profound. If you do not get the recommended eight hours of sleep a night, you can spend your day lethargic, irritable, and lack concentration while performing important tasks.

More than forty percent of adults experience daytime sleepiness severe enough to interfere with their daily activities at least a few days each month. In addition, twenty percent report have problems sleeping at least a few days in the week. People must understand the importance of sleep and how it affects their bodies. You are more susceptible to illnesses if you do not get enough sleep.

Over forty million Americans suffer from sleep disorders, yet more than sixty percent of adults have never been asked about the quality of their sleep by a physician and fewer than twenty percent ever initiated a discussion.

Poor sleep has a price. Millions of individuals struggle to stay alert at home, in school, on the job - and on the road. Tragically, fatigue contributes to more than 100,000 highway crashes, causing over 71,000 injuries and more than 1,500 deaths each year in the United States alone. As you can see, the importance of sleep is bigger than you might have imagined.

Studies suggest that chronic sleep loss is a risk factor for diabetes. In recent years, several laboratories have begun to study markers of health in volunteers in whom sleep was restricted. These studies showed that sleep loss has an adverse effect on our ability to metabolize sugar. In one week of severe sleep deprivation—such as four to five hours per night—a healthy, lean, fit volunteer fell into a prediabetic state.

The importance of sleep can be correlated to weight gain and obesity aswell. There have been studies that show an increase in hunger and appetite and profound alterations in hormones that regulate hunger and appetite with a lack of sleep. When you're sleep-deprived, you may overeat well in excess of the caloric demands

The immune system is markedly affected by sleep loss. The response to the flu vaccine is affected by the amount of sleep that you have during the days prior to vaccination. The amount of antibody that you build against the flu may be affected by as much as fifty percent if you have not had enough sleep when you are immunized.

As you can see, the importance of sleep plays a direct role in our overall health. If you do not get enough sleep you are hurting your body and putting yourself at a bigger risk of getting diseases and other health problems.