top of page

Understanding Sleep Health and Why it Matters

Sleep is essential for overall health, yet millions of people experience poor sleep or suffer from sleep disorders without even realizing it.

Sleep health is not just about personal choices—it is deeply connected to societal and environmental factors, from job schedules to neighborhood safety. This series explores the disparities in sleep health, how they contribute to chronic health conditions, and why achieving sleep health equity is essential for individual well-being and societal progress.

The Unrecognized Crisis: Sleep Disorders

Many individuals struggle with poor sleep or undiagnosed sleep disorders, but these issues often go unnoticed. Common sleep disorders include:
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)

Repeated pauses in breathing during sleep, leading to poor oxygen flow. Causes excessive daytime sleepiness, increases heart disease and stroke risk, and contributes to workplace and driving accidents.

Insmonia

Difficulty falling or staying asleep, waking too early, or feeling unrefreshed despite sleep. Increases risk of anxiety, depression, cardiovascular disease, and reduced cognitive function.

Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS)

Uncontrollable urge to move legs, often due to tingling or discomfort, worsening at night. Leads to chronic sleep deprivation, fatigue, and worsened mental health outcomes.

Circadian Rhythm Disorders

Misalignment between sleep-wake cycles and daily schedules, often affecting shift workers or travelers. Causes difficulty falling asleep at normal times, excessive sleepiness, and metabolic and mood disruptions.

These disorders contribute to cognitive issues, poor mental health, and chronic health conditions, yet many people do not seek treatment, often due to a lack of awareness or access to healthcare.

Poor Sleep Hygeine: An Overlooked Factor

Even without a diagnosed sleep disorder, poor sleep hygiene—unhealthy habits and environmental factors—can contribute to sleep deprivation. Some common sleep hygiene issues include:

  • Irregular Sleep Schedules

    • Going to bed and waking up at different times each day disrupts the body's natural rhythm

  • Screen Time Before Bed

    • Exposure to blue light from smartphones, TVs, and computes suppresses melatonin production, making it harder to fall asleep

  • Caffeine, Alcohol, and Sugar​

    • These all interfere with sleep quality by affecting the nervous system or causing digestive discomfort

  • Unsupportive Sleep Environments

    • Noisy, bright, or uncomfortable sleeping spaces make it harder to rest deeply​

  • Stress and Mental Overload​

    • ​Anxiety and chronic stress can make it difficult to relax and fall asleep

Symptoms of Poor Sleep

Many people experience the effects of poor sleep without realizing the root cause. Sleep deprivation and sleep disorders can manifest in a variety of physical, mental, and behavioral symptoms, including:

cognitive and mental.jpg

Cognitive & Mental

  • Difficult concentrating

  • Forgetfullness

  • Irritability & mood swings

  • Anxiety or depression

  • Reduced ability to solve problems

behavioral symptom, simple, no text.jpg

Behavioral

  • Drowsiness during work or social activities

  • Decreased motivation

  • Increased reliance on caffeine or stimulants

  • More frequent conflicts at work or home

sick person, simple, no text.jpg

Physical

  • Chronic fatigue

  • Frequent headaches

  • Slower reaction times

  • Frequently getting sick

  • Unexplained weight gain

Take this survey and if you score closer to poor sleep, you should speak to your physician about a referral to sleep medicine.

Individual and Societal Impact

Improving sleep hygiene is an essential first step toward better sleep health, but for many individuals, barriers like work schedules, living conditions, and financial constraints make maintaining good sleep hygiene difficult.

Personal Health Consequences:

 Poor sleep is linked to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and mental health issues such as depression and anxiety.

Financial Burdens:

People with poor sleep often experience higher medical debt, miss more work, and struggle with daily productivity.

Community-Level Challenges:

Neighborhoods with high crime rates, noise pollution, and limited green spaces contribute to disrupted sleep patterns.

Work & Policy Issues:

Shift work, long work hours, and inflexible schedules disproportionately affect lower-income individuals and communities of color, making sleep health inequities even worse.

Cost to Society:

Increased healthcare costs of billions of dollars due to sleep-related conditions lead to higher public spending on medical care, disability, and lost productivity.

Sources

Baranwal, N., Yu, P. K., & Siegel, N. S. (2023). Sleep physiology, pathophysiology, and sleep hygiene. Progress in cardiovascular diseases, 77, 59–69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcad.2023.02.005 Frost & Sullivan. (2016). Hidden health crisis costing America billions. In Frost & Sullivan. https://aasm.org/resources/pdf/sleep-apnea-economic-crisis.pdf Grandner MA, Jackson NJ, Izci-Balserak B, et al. Social and Behavioral Determinants of Perceived Insufficient Sleep. Front Neurol. 2015;6:112. Published 2015 Jun 5. doi:10.3389/fneur.2015.00112 Karna, B., Sankari, A., & Tatikonda, G. (2023, June 11). Sleep disorder. StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK560720/ Ravyts, S. G., Dzierzewski, J. M., Perez, E., Donovan, E. K., & Dautovich, N. D. (2021). Sleep Health as Measured by RU SATED: A Psychometric Evaluation. Behavioral sleep medicine, 19(1), 48–56. https://doi.org/10.1080/15402002.2019.1701474 What are sleep deprivation and deficiency? | NHLBI, NIH. (2022, March 24). NHLBI, NIH. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sleep-deprivation

bottom of page