In “The Healing Power of Sleep,” Pamela Weintraub reports on the latest research and why sleep is so essential to physical and mental health:
Sleep, new research reveals, is a master regulator of health. A sleep deficit or disruption can create wide-ranging havoc, compromising our immune system, causing inflammation, and damaging our genes. Losing just an hour of sleep a night increases risk of cancer, heart attack, stroke and type 2 diabetes.
Lack of sleep can also lead to memory loss, negatively affect people’s reflexes and decision-making skills, cause hearing loss and psychiatric disease, and impede sexual function.
And it’s not just people who suffer from sleep disorders like insomnia and sleep apnea who have to worry, says James Maas, PhD, a recently retired Cornell scientist and one of the world’s foremost sleep researchers. He says at least seven out of 10 Americans aren’t getting enough sleep and they’re at risk for serious health problems, as well.
How many hours of sleep do you get, on average, a night?
Click here to read the complete article.
When I worked 90 hours a week I slept 2 to 3 hours a night and started gaining weight and 2 years later I was 50 lbs heavier. Since changing my lifestyle and sleeping 7 to 8 hours a night I have lost 30lbs. Hmmm great article on sleep and how it affects us.