Understanding and improving sleep is one of the most important medical, technological and societal challenges of our time. Sleep has, for decades, been perceived as an indulgence that should be minimized wherever and whenever possible. We are sleeping less than we were 40 years ago and this trend has started to backfire. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States has declared insufficient sleep a ‘public health problem’. According another study, more than a third of adults are not getting enough sleep on a regular basis.
The adverse effects of poor sleep quality on health, well-being and productivity have far-reaching societal and economic consequences. RAND Europe recently published a report analyzing the economic costs of insufficient sleep across Japan, Germany, UK, Canada and the USA. The conclusion is alarming: up to $680 billion is lost each year across the five countries due to insufficient sleep and poor sleep quality. A recent survey in Australia estimated also the overall financial and non-financial cost of inadequate sleep is $45.21 billion every year, or $1,822 per inhabitant. The researchers argue that these costs warrant substantial investment in preventive health measures to address the issue through education and regulation.
It is therefore a matter of public health to tackle with this issue, as well as an unprecedented economic opportunity.