Are You Getting Enough Sleep? Probably Not.
Experts in a recent podcast episode explore how to unlock a powerful but frequently overlooked key to health and well-being: sleep. Despite a flood of medications, supplements, and meditation apps promising better rest, an estimated six out of 10 Americans still don’t get enough sleep.
Why Sleep Is Essential
In the “Harvard Thinking” podcast, host Samantha Laine Perfas discusses the critical role of sleep with three specialists.
“Sleep affects every part of your being, every physiological process, every biological process, every psychological process,” said Tony Cunningham, director of the Center for Sleep and Cognition and director of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Clinic at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School.
The Challenge of Prioritizing Sleep
Rebecca Robbins, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and associate sleep scientist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, expressed surprise at how few people prioritize sleep, considering its broad impact on well-being.
Misjudging Our Sleep Quality
One issue is that people are often poor judges of their own sleep quality, explained Matthew Weaver, associate epidemiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and instructor at Harvard Medical School.
Summary
Despite the vital role sleep plays in health, most people underestimate how poorly they sleep and do not prioritize adequate rest.