Americans鈥 鈥渞ise and grind鈥 mentality often pushes people to prioritize the hustle at the expense of well-being, especially sleep. From social media posts reminding us, 鈥淒on鈥檛 stop until you reach your dreams,鈥 to titans of technology, business and entertainment oversharing their early-morning routines, we鈥檙e bombarded with messages that waking up early is the key to success.
With more research studies revealing how a lack of sleep or poor-quality sleep increases the risk of many chronic health diseases and conditions, it鈥檚 time to put 鈥渉ustle culture鈥 to bed.
Lack of sleep can cause severe health problems
Sleep deprivation is linked to Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, obesity and depression, as well as motor vehicle crashes and work mistakes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Good sleep is important for everyone, no matter their age. For teenagers, eight to 10 hours stimulates intellectual growth and contributes to better mental health, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine said in聽. For those between the ages of 20 and 64, the CDC recommends seven to nine hours per night to help achieve optimal physical and mental health.
The effects of lack of sleep for older adults 鈥斅燼ges 65 and older 鈥 are startling, according to a 2021 Harvard Medical School聽. This research uncovered that those who sleep less than five hours a night are twice as likely to develop dementia or die within five years, compared with those who sleep between six and eight hours per night.
What causes sleep deprivation?
So why do nearly a third of U.S. adults report they don鈥檛 get enough shut-eye? It鈥檚 due to a wide range of factors, including:
Sleep disorders, like insomnia, restless legs syndrome and sleep apnea.
Chronic long-term health conditions, including obesity, acid reflux disease, eczema and physical pain.
Anxiety or depression.
Late-night bathroom breaks, which can be caused by an enlarged prostate gland, urinary tract infection or pregnancy.
Experts also point to the fact that many Americans tend to cut short their sleeping hours due to focus on work, family or school demands or lifestyle habits 鈥 all issues that make it hard to get enough sleep.聽
What else can lack of sleep cause?
These hours of lost sleep can add up and cause huge ongoing problems.
Giving up 90 minutes of sleep for just one night could result in a reduction of daytime alertness by as much as 32%. This means tired people may find it harder to focus and think clearly. It also impairs judgment and hinders self-control, a deciding factor in many car accidents.
Sleep deprivation also contributes to nearly 11 days of productivity losses for the average American worker, according to a . While that statistic may alarm company leaders, sleep-related problems hit Americans鈥 wallets hard, costing nearly $16 billion a year in medical bills, according to some estimates.
Sleep is not a luxury. It鈥檚 a key factor for good health.聽
