Americans not getting enough sleep

A recent study by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) indicates that adults in U.S. are not getting enough rest each night.

Have you ever intentionally tried to sleep less number of hours on a particular day? Those who have will definitely agree that they are not at their usual best when they do that. Now think about this. This situation is an integral part of your life and you are not getting enough sleep every day.

This has indeed become a part of the lives of Americans which according to a study are not able to sleep the required hours. Late-night TV watching, Internet surfing and other distractions are the possible reasons for this.

Sleep helps your body to repair itself. It also helps your mind absorb and "file" the day's learning. When we deprive ourselves of sleep, we notice the effects both mentally and physically.

The survey was conducted on 19,589 adults in four states which are New York, Hawaii, Delaware and Rhode Island. Participants were asked whether they felt that they got "enough" rest or sleep in the previous month.

70% of people said they did not get enough sleep in the prior month and 10 percent said they didn't get enough sleep or rest in any of the previous 30 days.

Nationwide, adults that averaged six hours or less of sleep a night increased in all age in groups from 1985 to 2006.

In 1985, about 20% of men and women ages 45-64 reported sleeping an average of six hours or less. By 2006 that number had jumped to 30 %.

Short term effects of sleeplessness can be fatigue, irritability, careless mistakes, difficulty concentrating, slower reaction times and increased stress.

Darrel Drobnich, National Sleep Foundation chief executive officer, added that several thousand people die on U.S. roads yearly in accidents involving drowsy drivers.

"Americans are definitely sleep deprived. They don't get the amount that even they say that they want," Drobnich said.

After only a few days of sleep deprivation, the body undergoes changes similar to "fast-forward" aging: memory loss, metabolism problems (with sugar and hormones), and poor athletic performance.

If sleep deprivation continues over the long term, it increases the risk of more serious health problems, such as a weakened immune system, diabetes, depression, high blood pressure and obesity.

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

The CDC said 50 to 70 million Americans suffer from chronic sleep loss and sleep disorders in a country of 300 million.