We are living longer but not healthier! Most people today, get one hour less sleep, than they wanted, resulting in “Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome, with 20% day time sleepiness, impaired performance and cascading effects: in young adults - academic failures, impaired driving, substance abuse, > sense of failure and < self efficacy, especially in young females – anxiety and depression. 

• Working a 17 hour day has equivalent effects of a blood alcohol level (0.08%)for impaired cognitive and motor performance/coordination.
  
  
• Highway Sleep attacks account for 100,000 car crashes annually, 2/3's of all car accidents.
  
  
• Since the early 1900's we have lost 2 hours of sleep a night – 9 hours, rather than our average 7 hours or less.
  
  
• We are accumulating on average 1 hour and 6 min/night less sleep than the needed 8 hours, with ˝ hour less on weekends – 338 hours or 2 full weeks per year. We can only make up for 15 hours of lost sleep/recovery time. We are sleep deprived and some of us are ‘somnorexic’.–  considering sleep to be a waste of time! 
  
  
• 74 million Americans have sleep disorders; we now have identified 84 sleep disorders.
  
  
• In 2003 Canadian Pharmacists dispensed 15 million prescriptions, according to IMS (Montreal Information company); a Canadian study in 2005, showed 1 in 4 Canadians suffer from a sleep disorder, the most common – insomnia, trouble falling asleep, staying asleep.
  
  
• Sleep Debt is responsible for Diabetes, Obesity (decreased growth hormone responsible for ratios fat to muscle, reduced ability to secrete insulin, and decreased levels of leptin, wherein we crave carbohydrates when we have had enough), Weakened immune system, Breast cancer (decreased melatonin results in increased estrogen levels), and possibly other cancers. Studies in Chicago, showed: sleep deprived young men to have Impaired glucose tolerance levels to a ‘pre diabetic’ state and equivalent to their grandparents; no early morning Cortisol peaks (energy levels) and equally low levels of Melatonin at night (cortisol and melatonin levels interact within the circadian cycle).
  
  
• Low Performance and alertness scales, on the job errors           

Serenity, a state of mind.... “Sereinity”, the process to that state! ™2001

© 2007 Wendy Caldwell BA PSY RN CCDC 

Main Studies: Van Cauter....CHO metabolism & encocrine function; R. Stevens Cancer Research U. of Connecticat Health Centre; T. Wehr study Nation Institute of Mental Health Diabetes;Sleep attacks: Vol 4 December 2000 Sleep Wake Disorders Canada; Statistics Canada - report on  sleep 2004 - 2005; IMS, Health Information, Montreal Canada; Canadian Sleep Society; Blackwell Synergy online Publishing, member, Netherlands World wide research coordinating body.