SLEEPLESS SOCIETY?

摘要

It is often said that we sleep less than we used to. Half a century ago people supposedly slept for more than 8 hours a night while we now sleep for 7 on average. The evidence for this is not particularly convincing, simply because 50 years ago scientists weren't too interested in how much people were sleeping. However, there is no doubt that some of us are sleep-deprived. Fortunately we also understand the effects of sleeplessness better than ever. Sleeplessness is bad for you. A fifth of road accidents are linked to fatigue. Sleep deprivation also affects health directly: the past decade has seen several epidemiological studies linking sleeplessness to ill health and higher mortality rates.