According to the Australian News Network, most Australians are in a state of severe sleep deprivation. Experts warn that long-term sleep deprivation can lead to a range of physical, social and economic problems, with serious consequences.
Sleep deprivation not only leads to reduced productivity, but also increases the risk of serious diseases such as diabetes, stroke, heart disease, obesity, and depression, experts said.
The Sleep Health Foundation estimates that as many as 3000 people die each year from poor sleep.
Professor Dorothy Brooke, the foundation's president, said the cost of sleep deprivation was worrying and that we needed to take urgent steps to put sleep on the country's agenda.
A 2017 study by Deloitte Institute of Economics found that more than 7 million people lack enough sleep to close their eyes, causing as much as 66 billion yuan in economic losses.
Professor Brooke stresses that the serious consequences behind these huge numbers cannot be ignored.
Australians have an average of 6.5 hours of sleep, with 12 percent reaching 5.5 hours or less.
As many as 45% of people have unhealthy sleep habits, which cause health problems that have risen 10 percentage points from 2010.
According to a study published in the medical journal Sleep, six hours or less of sleep is almost as harmful as sleep-free.
Nicholas Brest, a 34-year-old insurance professional, says he is usually able to guarantee six to seven hours of sleep, which is normal during the day, but feels very tired every time he finishes work.
Dr. David Hillman, director of the Sleep Health Foundation, says the public health consequences of severe sleep deprivation are basically the same as smoking. Just as obesity, smoking and drinking too much, and lack of exercise, sleep problems can do serious harm to society, he said. Among them, lack of sleep can lead to a sense of loneliness and reluctance to actively integrate into society. At the same time, insufficient sleep can lead to related mental illness, especially in young people.
As a result, experts say turning off your phone before you go to bed and keeping away from electronic devices will help us get better into deep sleep and improve the quality of our sleep.
