I Hate to Sound Like Your Mom, but You Need to Go to Bed Now!

Unless you happen to be among the 3% (or less) of the population who have the short sleep gene (known as DEC2), then you need somewhere between seven and nine hours of sleep a night. Any less and you are putting yourself at risk for a weakened immune system and serious medical conditions, including obesity, heart disease, and diabetes; as well as serious cognitive impairment. Sleep is so vital to our health, the Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) named insufficient sleep as a public health epidemic.