The final frontier-Sleep

I know many people who do great at eating right and exercising regularly. However, one of the things many of us Ameicans skimp on is good, old fashioned sleep.  Here are some great reasons to get enough sleep each night. I'm one of these people, so I did some digging to research it's importance. 

According to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF), sleep is essential for a person’s health and wellbeing,  yet millions of people do not get enough sleep and many suffer from lack of sleep. For example, surveys conducted by the NSF (1999-2004) reveal that at least 40 million Americans suffer from over 70 different sleep disorders and 60 percent of adults report having sleep problems a few nights a week or more. Most of these problems go undiagnosed and untreated.  In addition, more than 40 percent of adults experience daytime sleepiness severe enough to interfere with their daily activities at least a few days each month, with 20 percent reporting problem sleepiness a few days a week or more.  Furthermore, 69 percent of children experience one or more sleep problems a few nights or more during a week.

The Harvard Women’s Health Watch suggests six reasons to get enough sleep:

Learning and memory: Sleep helps the brain commit new information to memory through a process called memory consolidation. In studies, people who had slept after learning a task did better on tests later.

Metabolism and weight: Chronic sleep deprivation may cause weight gain by affecting the way our bodies process and store carbohydrates, and by altering levels of hormones that affect our appetite.

Safety: Sleep debt contributes to a greater tendency to fall asleep during the daytime. These lapses may cause falls and mistakes such as medical errors, air traffic mishaps and road accidents.

Mood: Sleep loss may result in irritability, impatience, inability to concentrate and moodiness. Too little sleep can also leave you too tired to do the things you like to do.

Cardiovascular health: Serious sleep disorders have been linked to hypertension, increased stress hormone levels, and irregular heartbeat.

Disease: Sleep deprivation alters immune function, including the activity of the body’s killer cells. Keeping up with sleep may also help fight cancer.

INFANTS
(0–2 months) 10.5–18 hours*
(2–12 months) 14–15 hours*

TODDLERS/CHILDREN
(12–18 months) 13–15 hours*
(18 months–3 years) 12–14 hours*
(3–5 years) 11–13 hours*
(5–12 years) 9–11 hours

ADOLESCENTS
8.5–9.5 hours

ADULTS
7–9 hours
(Taken from the National Sleep Foundation Web site)