Sleepy? You’re not alone.
Research suggests adults need seven to nine hours of sleep per night to stay healthy, and yet one in three are clocking less than seven hours nightly on average, according to the Sleep Foundation. The occasional sleepless night is nothing to worry about. But “problems falling or staying asleep and/or waking up too early and being unable to fall back to sleep” at least three times a week for three or more months signal insomnia, says Gahan Pandina, Ph.D., Senior Director, Compound Development Team Leader, Janssen Research & Development, part of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson.
And that is something to worry about.
“There are many people who are not getting enough healthy sleep on a regular basis," says Michael Grandner, Ph.D., Director of the Sleep and Health Research Program, University of Arizona College of Medicine, "and this may be increasing their likelihood of a wide range of health and mental health issues.”
Chronic insomnia can be caused by stress, anxiety and depression; an irregular sleep schedule; pain; and certain medications, among other things. But that doesn’t mean you have to accept sleeplessness as a fact of life. In honor of Better Sleep Month, take this quiz to see how much you know about insomnia and learn how you can help get a good night’s sleep—every night.
