The Frightening Cost of Sleep Deprivation in America

The Frightening Cost of Sleep Deprivation in America.

Did you not get enough sleep last night? This week? This month? If so, you aren’t alone. More than one-third of all American adults came up short when it comes to getting the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep. While being sleep deprived doesn’t seem like a big deal when you look at it one night at a time, when you step back and look at it from a big picture perspective the impact of skimping on your sleep can be catastrophic.

If you are consistently getting less than the prescribed minimum amount of sleep (seven hours) you are increasing your risk for many dangerous medical conditions such as: obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, coronary heart disease, and early death.  Not to mention that in the 24 hours following a night of poor sleep you nearly double your chances of getting into a car accident.

Also, you know that bad mood that always grabs you when you have had a restless night in bed? Well, those moods may be more impactful than you think. People who have chronic sleep deprivation have been directly correlated with an increased risk of mental distress. People with insomnia are 10 times more likely than the average person to be diagnosed with clinical depression and 17 times(!) more likely to have clinical anxiety.

Mental and physical detriments aside one of the biggest pitfalls of so many Americans not getting the proper amount of sleep is the hit that America takes in the pocket book.  Sleep deprivation alone costs America $400 billion annually in GDP terms. $400 billion dollars is roughly double the amount of money that the United States spend on the entire NASA Space Shuttle Program during its 30-year existence.

Want to see other ways how sleep deprivation affects Americans, and find out some helpful tips on how to get a good night’s sleep? Check out this amazing infographic from the team at SupplementCritique.com.