14 DAY TRIAL // Worrying new statistics show that more than 33 percent of US citizens sleep much less than they should, mostly because of financial concerns related to the safety of their workplace and the amount of their bills. Over the last years, the average amount of sleep that people have gotten has decreased by 13 percent since 2001, and the trend is accelerating, as the economic downturn has only struck powerfully starting with 2007-2008. Physicians draw attention to the fact that sacrificing sleep is not the answer to these problems, and that going to work tired and not being productive may actually cost people their jobs.
They argue that the amount and quality of sleep is the most important indicator of a person's mental and physical health, and that only a couple of hours' worth of slumber per night are completely ineffective in reducing stress and making individuals feel more relaxed after a hard day's work. In fact, the researchers say, tiredness accumulates inside the body from one day to the other. And while most persons are strong enough to endure under these conditions for a while, none can keep it up for more than a year, at best.
“It's easy to understand why so many people are concerned over the economy and jobs, but sacrificing sleep is the wrong solution. Sleep is essential for productivity and alertness and is a vital sign for one's overall health,” the CEO of the National Sleep Foundation, David Cloud, explains.
“Getting enough sleep everyday is as important to your health as eating healthy and being physical active. Physicians should regularly ask all patients about sleep, diet, and physical activity habits. Sleep is as vital as eating right and exercising to our health,” 2009 Sleep in America poll taskforce member Woodie Kessel, MD, MPH, who is also the Assistant Surgeon General, USPHS (ret.), adds.
One of the main problems associated with less sleep, which has gone largely unnoticed over the last years, is drowsing when behind the wheel. A study conducted earlier this year has established that 54 percent of all Americans with a driver's license have nodded off or fallen asleep behind the wheel at least once in the past twelve months, and that 40 percent of them have done so while driving at least once each month. The situation is very serious, and authorities are currently looking at ways to address it.