Sleep and Your Health

According to the Institute of Medicine, we are a sleep starved nation.

  • 63% of American Adults do not get 8 hours of sleep at night.
  • 70 million suffer from insomnia.
  • 7 out of 10 suffer from frequent sleeping problems.

Sleep debt can deteriorate our health causing a host of problems, such as:

  • increased risk of hypertension
  • diabetes
  • obesity
  • depression
  • heart attack
  • stroke

It is always wise to discuss your sleep with your physician as there may be complications which only he/she can address.

Sleep and Your Weight

A Stanford University study found a correlation between the hours of sleep which people got and their weight.

  • Shorter sleep duration boosts the level of ghrelin, a hormone that makes us feel hungry.
  • Shorter sleep duration suppresses another hormone called leptin, which makes us feel full.

Either way, it is not a win-win.  Shorter sleep duration can add weight.

Poor Sleep Makes You Cranky!

Another side effect of poor sleep: Anxiety levels rise and we can lose our sense of self and well-being. (Translated: it makes you cranky or fussy!)

I hope you’ll find this article about the risks to our body when we don’t get good sleep routinely interesting and helpful: The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Your Body.

Remember …

In kindness,

Claudia