Majority of Americans Are Sleep Deprived

Results of a new study by the National Sleep Foundation show us that more often than not, Americans fail to get adequate levels of sleep each night. This leads to many drawbacks in life, including; reduced productivity at work, feeling tired throughout the day, and an increased likelyhood of falling sick.

Sleep is a vital component to a healthy lifestyle, as it promotes recovery from the stress of the previous day, and is when our body’s regenerate rebuild broken down muscle tissue from exercise. Everybody likes to face a new day refreshed, thus it is crucial to get the proper amount of sleep each night to insure that when the dawn breaks, you can be at your best.

The study found that depending on one’s ethnicity, one can expect a varying amount of daily sleep a night. For example the study found that African Americans have the least amount of sleep during the week at just over six hours. Whites were found to be more likely to sleep either alone, or with a pet. The study finds that there is another more disturbing symptom associated with not getting enough sleep, that being increased abdominal fat.

“We expected culture would have an effect, but the differences between cultures are probably bigger than the genetics of people,” says Thomas Balkin, chairman of the foundation’s board. He went on to say that overall very few Americans actually get the proper amount of sleep, that they need.