Why You Don't Sleep Enough

On Thursday the CDC reported that Americans are getting less sleep than ever due to late night TV, Internet use and other late night "distractions" (is this the CDC's euphemism for sex?). This is serious stuff, they say.

...all this sleeplessness can be a nightmare for your mental and physical health, CDC experts cautioned, calling sleep loss an under-recognized public health problem.

Sleep experts say chronic sleep loss is associated with obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, cardiovascular disease, depression, cigarette smoking and excessive drinking.

....But the CDC released nationwide data collected separately showing that across all age groups, the percentage of adults reporting sleeping six hours or fewer a night increased from 1985 to 2006.

The National Sleep Foundation recommends adults get seven to nine hours of sleep a night. Children ages 5 to 12 should get nine to 11 hours and those 11 to 17 need 8-1/2 to 9-1/2 hours.

Keep reading.

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Read blogger Janet Kinosian: Why The World Needs More Well-Rested Women.

Read blogger David Allen: Is Thinking Interrupting Your Sleep?