sleep deprivation

In just the last twenty years we have added 158 hours to our annual working and commuting time--the equivalent of a full month of working hours.Before Thomas Edison's invention of the electric light in 1879, most people slept ten hours each night, a duration we've just recently discovered is ideal for optimal performance. When activity no longer was limited by the day's natural light, sleep habits changed. Over the next century we gradually reduced our total nightly sleep time by 20 percent, to eight hours per night.


But that's not nearly the end of the story. Recent studies indicate that Americans now average seven hours per night, approximately two and a half hours less than ideal. Amazingly, and foolishly, one third of our population is sleeping less than six hours each night. Are we losing our minds?Even though half of American adults have trouble sleeping, physicians rarely ask their patients how they sleep. Less than 1 percent of case histories taken by doctors during routine physical examinations even include a mention of sleep. Even though half of American adults have trouble sleeping, physicians rarely ask their patients how they sleep. Less than 1 percent of case histories taken by doctors during routine physical examinations even include a mention of sleep.