Getting enough sleep is integral to our health. However, when life gets busy or stressful, good-quality sleep is usually the first thing to go.
According to research done by the Sleep Health Foundation, 33% to 45% of all Australian adults are getting inadequate sleep. In fact, the survey found that insomnia affects 20% of adults, and sleep apnoea affects 8 per cent.
Although data suggests around 68% of Australians are getting the recommended seven to eight hours of sleep per night, 32% of Australians are not.
And unfortunately, new research suggests that not getting enough sleep is the same as being under the influence of alcohol, and affects your performance and decision-making skills.
An extensive sleep study conducted by researchers from the University of Oxford and the Royal Society for Public Health in the UK has found that a lack of sleep affects the body the same way drinking alcohol does. After 17 hours without sleep our alertness is similar to that of a person with a blood alcohol reading of 0.05%, and in Australia a blood alcohol reading of 0.05% makes you officially too drunk to drive. After 24 hours without sleep you can consider your body to be in the same state as it would be if you had a blood alcohol level of 0.1%.
It’s a very clear reminder of how important it is to get a good quality of sleep. Maybe it’s time to start heading to bed earlier, putting those phones away or scheduling a sleep in this weekend.
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