Are You Getting Sleepy?

June 17, 2002

According to The National Commission on Sleep Disorders Research, way too many people don't spend enough time staring at the backs of their eyelids. The NCSDR estimates that "as many as 40 million Americans may suffer from chronic or intermittent disorders of sleep and sleep deprivation, the consequences of which include reduced productivity, lowered cognitive performance, excessive daytime sleepiness, increased likelihood of accidents, higher risk of morbidity and mortality, and decreased quality of life."

Whew! It's enough to actually justify hitting the snooze button. To top it all off, new observational studies suggest that lack of sleep may be implicated in the growing American diabetes epidemic. In one study, cited in the Nutrition Action Healthletter (June 2002, www.cspinet.org), researchers found that after getting four hours of sleep per night for six nights, healthy young people had a harder time keeping their blood sugar levels balanced. In another study, healthy participants who stayed up all night were found to be more insulin-resistant the next morning. Insulin resistance raises the risk of diabetes and heart disease, and can contribute to abnormalities in cholesterol and triglycerides.

Maybe you should take that nap after all! Check out the NCSDR website for an interactive sleep quiz. (Click on "Patient and Public Information.")