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Do you think you got enough sleep this past week? Can you recall the last time you woke up without an alarm clock feeling refreshed, not needing caffeine? If the answer to either of these questions is “no,” you are not alone. Two-thirds of adults throughout all developed nations fail to obtain the recommended eight hours of nightly sleep.
I doubt you are surprised by this fact, but you may be surprised by the consequences. Routinely sleeping less than six or seven hours a night demolishes your immune system, more than doubling your risk of cancer. Insufficient sleep is a key lifestyle factor determining whether or not you will develop Alzheimer’s disease. Inadequate sleep—even moderate reductions for just one week—disrupts blood sugar levels so profoundly that you would be classified as pre-diabetic. Short sleeping increases the likelihood of your coronary arteries becoming blocked and brittle, setting you on a path toward cardiovascular disease, stroke, and congestive heart failure. Fitting Charlotte Brontë’s prophetic wisdom that “a ruffled mind makes a restless pillow,” sleep disruption further contributes to all major psychiatric conditions, including depression, anxiety, and suicidality."
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The above are the first 2 paragraphs from sleep researcher Matt Walker's 2017 book, Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams.
For those who want to learn more about the current state of sleep research, I offer up the following short and long video presentations by Dr. Walker. The short version is a 19 minute Ted Talk video and the long version is a fully captivating 3 hour podcast interview of Dr. Walker by Rich Roll.
Matt Walker - TED 2019: Sleep is Your Superpower
ted.com/talks/matt_walker_s...
Sleep Is Non-Negotiable: Dr. Matt Walker / Rich Roll Podcast
richroll.com/podcast/matthe...
Dr. Walker's book reviewed here:
goodreads.com/book/show/344...
Sleep Well to Stay Well - K9
