“You look tired,” is as tired a phrase as those it’s directed at. However, odds are it’s been said to you.
According to a recent study more than half of Americans between the ages of thirteen and sixty-four experience a sleep problem almost every night, and nearly two-thirds complain that they don’t get enough sleep during the week.
The National Academy of Sciences estimates that fifty to seventy million Americans suffer from some kind of chronic sleeping disorder. They say there’s power in numbers but something tells me these numbers are too grouchy to actually accomplish anything.
So, why are we so tired? Many reasons, but the problem seems to have begun with the advent of electricity, eliminating the natural curfew of darkness. From there to smartphones and tablets we’re simply far too distracted to sleep.
The solution may be obvious, but returning to candlelight seems unlikely and impractical….so coffee may have to do for now. There may be no substitute for sleep, but caffeine is an awfully wonderful crutch.
________________________________________
The New Yorker: The Science of Sleeplessness
…bi-daily smile…
If only we all had a magic nanny…
