Pillars of Health 3 : What Poor Sleep Does to Us

Poor sleep is a common problem.  About 60 million adults in the US have frequent nights of poor sleep.  The indirect economic costs of insomnia are about $60 billion, and include absences from work, being present but not productive, increases in mistakes, errors, and accidents, and an increase in the risk of injury with subsequent long-term disability.  All-cause mortality (the risk of dying from any cause) is actually higher in insomniacs than in smokers!  So, what happens to us when we don’t sleep well?  Our risk of obesity, diabetes type 2, stroke, diabetes, depression, and suicide increase.  Poor sleep also reduces testosterone levels, and triggers damage to the lining of our arteries, which then are prone to developing cholesterol build-up leading to heart attacks and strokes.  Poor sleep is associated with depression, bipolar disorder, PTSD, and worsened symptoms after Traumatic Brain injury.  Finally, poor sleep is correlated with breast cancer, endometrial cancer, prostate cancer, and colon cancer.  With all these negative consequences from poor sleep, we can all see just how important it is to address this effectively.