Published in Forbes
In Despite our feverish devotion to crafting the perfect nutrition and exercise regimens, we remain curiously negligent of that equally vital component of health: sleep. Enter sleep scientist Dr. Rebecca Robbins, Assistant Professor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School and an Associate Scientist at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, who has made it her life’s work to research and desin better sleeping habits for us all.
With a rich background in sleep research and numerous publications under her belt—including Sleep for Success! Everything You Must Know About Sleep But Are Too Tired to Ask—Dr. Robbins is a leading voice in a field that’s just beginning to gain the recognition it deserves.—Dr. Robbins is a leading voice in a field that’s just beginning to gain the recognition it deserves.
“Only one in three adults report getting enough sleep, and between 20-50% of Americans struggle to either fall asleep or maintain sleep on any given night,” Dr. Robbins tells me.
This statistic is alarming, considering the myriad of studies that underscore the importance of sleep in maintaining cognitive function, emotional stability, and overall physical health. In a world where digital devices dominate our attention, sleep has become a casualty of modern life.
The science behind sleep is both fascinating and intricate. Dr. Robbins’ work delves into the primary causes of sleep disruptions, which range from modern stressors such as work pressure and urban noise pollution to the pervasive use of digital devices. “We live in a 24/7 interconnected world where the lines between work and home are blurred, reducing the overall time available for sleep,” she explains.
This relentless pace of life, coupled with a few (very) false beliefs about sleep—such as the notion that sleeping in can compensate for lost sleep—has contributed to a global epidemic of insufficient rest.
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