Sleep and CVD Part I: The Epidemiological Evidence
Every single organism on earth needs to sleep (1) Despite our knowledge that sleep is vital for human health and well being, we often neglect it. It’s easy to do in our modern day, as social, technological, and environmental factors allow us to live a 24-hour life.
The statistics reflect this negligence. More than one-third of U.S. adults report sleeping less than 7 hours each night and another 30% sleep fewer than 6 hours (2,3). In fact, as many as 48% of adults fail to get the proper amount of sleep each night (4) — which is 7–9 hours according to the latest recommendations from the National Sleep foundation (5). Just around 20% of college students report staying up all night at least once per month (6).
Reducing our sleep has not come without consequence. Insufficient sleep has been tied to a greater risk for disorders including obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and cognitive decline (4,7,8)…
