Before the invention of the electric light, Americans averaged 10 hours of sleep per night. Nowadays, the typical American gets less than seven hours of sleep a night during the week, slightly more on weekends. So, what’s the problem? We’re just more productive, right? Wrong. Not enough sleep dramatically increases the susceptibility to transient illness and chronic disease. The risk of diabetes, obesity, heart disease, depression, alcoholism, and other diseases and conditions are all increased by not getting enough sleep. Here are some chilling facts:
