Good Morning, really?!
Actually, I know it’s not going to be as good of a morning or entire day for that fact, because I didn’t get my much needed 6 hours of sleep.
I suffer from sleep deprivation occasionally— and that term is relative because my father has always performed on target with 4 hours of sleep and my mother needs at least 8 hours to uphold her usual “Mary Poppins” status. But studies have shown that at an average adult needs at least 4 hours of concentrated sleep in order to function normally.
And according to studies and what I see continually in my office, 30% of Americans are suffering from chronic insomnia. So, if you’re up before the break of dawn reading this article, chances are that a few of your neighbors are as well.
Insomnia is defined as difficulty initiating sleep or maintaining sleep, waking up too early, or experiencing sleep that is chronically poor in quality. There is a myriad of consequences that arise from insomnia. These include short-term memory loss, depression, irritable mood, decreased energy, low libido, increased rate in crashes and workplace errors, respiratory problems, increased blood pressure, depressed immunity, increased appetite and obesity, chronic headaches and GI symptoms, continuous anxiety about not being able to sleep well, and an overall poorer quality of life in general. So it comes to no surprise that there is an increased mortality rate in those that don’t get at least 4 hours of concentrated sleep each night.
Sleep is really not given the respect it deserves in this country. Although born and raised in America, I have travelled immensely all over the world. While in Spain with my sister, we begrudgingly waited for 2 hours after lunch for a major bank to re-open because it is customary for businesses to shut down for an afternoon siesta. And in India major towns don’t begin to bustle until 11 a.m. after people leisurely awake and have eaten a hearty breakfast. I somewhat understand the pressures of being the most powerful country in the world and what it takes to maintain the status—but, come on now, let’s remember to stop and smell the roses, breathe, stretch, SLEEP…. And I only stress this point because danger lurks with insomnia.
There are other things that can cause sleep deprivation, such as medical conditions, psychiatric issues, neurological diseases, sleep disorders, and medications. Several therapies have been developed and approved for insomnia. If you may suffer from this common and chronic problem, please don’t ignore it for too long because it’s taking a toll on many obvious and hidden aspects of your life.
