Autonomic Diseases

Autonomic Diseases

Autonomic Diseases

Over the past 50 years, average sleep duration for Americans has decreased by 1.5-2 hours per night. Shortened sleep seems to be a trademark of modern society. (National Sleep Foundation. Sleep in America Poll. 2001-2002)

Firemen, physicians, law enforcement personnel, and people who work rotating shifts are among those groups whose sleep patterns are significantly disrupted. But many people routinely spend only five or six hours in bed each night.

However, far from being a harmless virtue of efficient and dedicated workers, sleep deprivation affects hormones, metabolism, and immune function in ways that can threaten one’s health.