Sixteen Week Sleep Health Challenge

As many as one-third of the population could be so sleep deprived it is killing them...literally!

Why we all need a wake-up call about the dangers of lack of sleep

Lack of sleep tends to be viewed as the one seemingly “harmless” health problem we think we can all live with – but the bad news is, lack of sleep can be every bit as deadly as smoking, drinking, obesity and other big health issues that kill thousands of Australians every day.

Dr Reza Samvat – who is behind a new sleep clinics called sleep4health, operating across Australia, says an estimated third of the population suffers the kind of serious lack of sleep that can be responsible for a multitude of health issues, many of them potentially deadly.

“Lack of sleep is the silent, ticking time bomb,” Dr Samvat says. “An estimated third of the general population suffers damaging levels of lack of sleep,” he said. “The deadly thing about sleep deprivation is that some people think they can continue functioning okay on minimal sleep and that it won't seriously affect their health in the long run. It will.”

The list of health problems that can either be brought on or severely worsened by lack of those vital zz's is the stuff of nightmares. Stroke, heart attack, obesity, type 2 diabetes, ADHD, chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia are just a few. One in every 6 fatal accidents is linked to sleep deprivation. Up to 80 per cent of mental health problems can be caused by or severely worsened through lack of sleep. And up to 70 per cent of ALL health ailments can be attributed to lack of sleep, says Dr Samvat. An estimated third of the population snores and an estimated more than 50 per cent of the population suffers insomnia.

Apart from the potentially deadly effects of lack of sleep, there are also the general health and physical tolls such as early ageing, memory loss, impaired brain function and low libido, to name a few. Every hour of lost sleep goes on our body's “sleep tab” as if we are using a life-long credit card. This is called “sleep debt”.

Call one of the sleep4health centers to start your 16 weeks sleep health challenge