Time to Prioritize Sleep

The clock is ticking. You don’t dare look at it to learn how far past your bedtime it is, or how close to getting up it is (but you do hear birds chirping). 

In my last post, I mentioned how this year’s new National Sleep Foundation Poll (2008 Poll) revealed data that wasn’t so surprising: our poor sleep habits are causing us to snooze on the job, behind the wheel, and at times when we should be participating in life to its fullest (i.e., enjoying our families and being intimate with our partners).

I also made a case for the fact the survey won’t change anything. Sure, it reiterates what most of us already know, but people aren’t ready to hear the message and put sleep before other things in life.  (Pop quiz: the last time you ate something “bad,” like a big fat donut or bacon double cheeseburger, did you feel guilty afterwards? How about the last time you got a bad night’s sleep? See? We are trained to feel guilty about certain things in life!)

So here comes another “major study” revealing similar results. This one is from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. While it didn’t cover the entire nation, I think it’s safe to say that the results of the researchers’ study across four states (Delaware, Hawaii, New York, and Rhode Island—I think that’s a fair mix) reflect the general public coast to coast.

According to this poll, about 10 percent of adults say they don’t get enough rest or sleep every day in the past month. Ten percent may not sound like a lot of people, but those are just the ones who admit to not getting enough every day. Imagine how many would say they feel sleep deprived every other day, or a few days a week. (Oh, the NSF Poll can tell you that. The numbers are huge.)

Why all this recent hubbub about sleep? Wake up and smell the coffee: last week (March 3-9) was National Sleep Awareness Week. I wish people took this week seriously every day of the year. There’s a lot of action in the sleep labs and research circles going on, but not a lot of action in society.

I say, in response to NSAW, aim for as many hours as you need tonight and don’t set your alarm this weekend. See if you can stop drinking caffeinated drinks after 2 p.m. If you need a nap at that time, kick back and relax for 20 minutes. And get off the Internet at least an hour before bedtime. (Good luck to those owlish e-mailers at night.) 

Sweet Dreams.