Too busy to sleep?

The evidence is clear. When we are sleep deprived, we impair our cognitive function in the short term, and significantly damage our long-term health. And yet, most organisational cultures continue to support short-changing sleep not just as acceptable, but as heroic. How can we make this change?

Here are some headline facts:

• Nearly half the UK adult population is sleep deprived (defined as surviving on less than 6 hours sleep per night)
• Sleep loss costs the UK economy over £30bn a year in lost revenue
• People over 45 who sleep less than 6 hours per night are twice as likely to have a heart attack or stroke
• Poor sleep is associated with increased blood pressure, weight gain, impairment of the immune system, reduced mental health
• After being awake for 19 hours you're as cognitively impaired as being drunk
• If you drive after less than 5 hours of sleep you are 4.3 times more likely to have a crash; after less than 4 hours sleep this rises to 11.5 times more likely.

If you want to know more, check out the link below. But my big question is:

What are we going to do about it?

We need a revolution in our thinking to start taking sleep seriously as important for maximising health, productivity and happiness - and not an act of laziness.