We live in a super-charged, sleep-deprived world. We work hard,
play hard, and try to cram too much into our day, and night.
This translates, naturally, into a lack of sleep. Doctors say
sleep deprivation has physical, medical and psychological
consequences. The Internet, cell phones, longer work hours and
higher expectations have left us in a state of constant fatigue.
Sleep specialist Dr. Gary Zammit says there is about a 20
percent decrease in average daily sleep time in American adults
now as compared to 100 years ago. He says that it is not due to
a change in our evolution or our need for sleep, but it is due
to change in the way we live in our society. These changes date
back to the Industrial Revolution. The light bulb eliminated our
need to follow the sun's rhythm. Circadian rhythm is our brain's
internal alarm clock reacting to light. Often though, our work
forces us to alter these rhythms. So how can you tell if you're
sleep deprived? If you're tired throughout the day, you're not
thinking straight,