I’ve really been struggling lately…

Low energy, poor concentration, lack of focus on the task at hand… not to mention a serious reduction in my productivity…

Oh, and don’t forget the 2 large Americanos that have seemingly become necessary for my survival…

Odds are you can relate.

Lack of sleep has reached epidemic proportions and it is now estimated that insomnia is the #1 health-related problem in Canada. One in three of us suffers from sleeplessness and one in ten experiences chronic insomnia.

“There is no favourable adaptation to sleep deprivation. Those who sleep less die younger.” – Robb Wolf, PhD

Sleep debt. That’s right, another form of debt your parents never warned you about.

Here’s the reality:

• There were almost 7 million sleeping pill prescriptions given out in Canada last year… 60% to women over 30.
• More than half the adult population report trouble sleeping every night.
• 43% report that tiredness interferes with their regular daytime activities.

…And it appears to be getting worse.

From 2004 – 2007 the number of adults using sleeping pills in the U.S. has DOUBLED.

And even more worrying,

…the proportion of CHILDREN aged 1-19 taking prescription sleeping medication has risen 85%.

This isn’t surprising:

Our culture is productivity obsessed, time-eating activities like checking Facebook, watching YouTube are on the rise, and our attention is becoming increasingly segmented.

A major consequence of this is, we seem to have forgotten the value of sleep, and more importantly how to get it.

WHY IS SLEEP SO IMPORTANT?

Most people know we need it, but not many understand the extent to which sleep affect bodily functions.

If you don’t get proper sleep or control your stress levels it will simply destroy your body. You will even die of sleep deprivation before you die of starvation.

So what has sleep done for you recently?

Let’s take a look…

1. Cellular Repair – Human Growth Hormone is produced in large quantities during sleep. This means it is during sleep that most of your body systems recover and cellular regeneration occurs. This is why not enough sleep makes you age faster.
2. Immune Activity – Your immune system is most active during sleep. A study at the University of California found that even a modest loss of sleep weakens the immune systems response to disease and injury.
3. Memory and Problem Solving – Sleep is vital for the formation of memories and retention of information. Sleep deprivation also negatively impacts short-term memory and generation of nerve cells. Students take note!
4. Mood and Mental Health – It’s well known that insomnia is associated with depression and there’s a clear reason why. Lack of sleep shuts down your pre frontal cortex. This can cause or exacerbate a number of psychological conditions including PTSD, depression, and anxiety,
5. Inflammation – Lack of sleep results in increased levels of cortisol (a stress hormone) circulating in you body. This creates low-grade inflammation throughout your body and it is very clear now that inflammation is associated with most modern diseases including heart disease, obesity, diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease and cancer.
6. Weight control – Sleep deprivation results in suppression of a special hormone called leptin. Leptin is your satiety hormone, meaning it suppresses hunger. Without it you are hungrier and typically causes you to crave sweet foods in particular. Recent studies show that just ONE night of poor sleep results in dramatic changes to appetite and food intake. It is also believed to be the single best predictor of obesity in children. A very recent study shows that lack of sleep also causes fatty liver disease. Pretty nasty stuff.

So if sleep is so important… why do we struggle with it so much?

It turns out, the answer to this question is both very old and very new…  Its a story of both evolution and revolution (see what I did there?).

Is that a cliffhanger or wha’?

Click below to download “Reboot Your Sleep – 4 Ways Technology Is Destroying Your Sleep And What To Do About It” and learn how to engineer the perfect night’s sleep.

Dr. John MacPhee is a Chiropractor, speaker and passionate  health  and wellness expert.  He has inspired thousands of people to take control of their own health using the Life By Design method.   Dr. John is co-owner of The Wellness Group, the largest Life By Design Certified Chiropractic office in Canada. Apart from full time practice, John maintains a busy speaking schedule, with a particular emphasis on improving productivity and focus at work. Otherwise you can find John training hard at CrossFit 613, exploring Gatineau Park, or holed away studying the latest research at various cafes across the west end.