Live Well 8: Importance of Sleep

Do you get enough sleep?

"We try to get to bed by 11. Up at 7. So pretty good amount of sleep," said Sonja George.

For many people, though, the answer is probably not. With little kids in the house, Jill Richards says she gets little sleep.

"Usually 5 to 7 hours, which is pretty tight for me," said Jill.

Dr. Alice Hoagland says adults should be getting 7 to 9 hours a night. She says most people dont realize the impact lack of sleep can have on the body.

"They dont realize that it has direct consequences to cardiovascular health, heart attack, stroke, diabetes," said Dr. Hoagland, the director of the Insomnia Clinic at the Unity Sleep Disorder Center.

But it can also be unsafe, as highlighted by Daylight Saving Time. This weekend, everyone will lose an hour of sleep, and it could lead to some drivers being extra drowsy at the wheel.

"Studies have shown the couple of days after daylight savings, automobile accidents go up because people are getting insufficient sleep," said Dr. Hoagland.

She says the best way to compensate for the loss of hour initially is to have a little caffeine, and that it takes some time to get the body back on track.

"Usually it takes 24 to 48 hours for the human brain to get re-regulated onto the same sleep schedule," said Dr. Hoagland.

Moving forward, she says that is the key to a healthy nights rest: Having a regular sleep routine. Its something Sonja seems to have mastered.

"There will be a period of adjustment with the baby being so young, but it will balance out, and get back to a rhythm," said Sonja.