Sleep - How much you need, why and how to get it

• Do you feel tired?

• Find yourself forgetting more easily or experiencing lack of mental clarity?

• Do you take unplanned naps during the day (or feel the need to)?

All of these may be a sign that you are not getting enough sleep. And you wouldn't be alone. Poor sleep is a problem affecting 33-45% of Australian adults (Adams et al. 2017).

Lack of sleep is affecting how Australians perform across the country, at schools, workplaces and even on the roads.

Importance of sleep

Needless to say, sleep is important.

In fact, sleep disorders have been reported to underlie 9.1% of work related injuries, 7.6% of traffic accidents, 8.3% of depression and even play a role in diseases such as diabetes and hypertension (high blood pressure) .