Philadelphia – The City that Never Sleeps
Yo Philly – you say you’re tired? A new study for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that you have good reason to feel exhausted.
The SleepBetter.org Sleepless City Index shows that Philadelphia is the most sleep-deprived big city in the country – more Philadelphia-area residents report getting inadequate sleep than in New York, LA, Chicago and the other major metropolises in the U.S.
Twenty-two-point-five percent of Philadelphians say they don’t get enough sleep more than half the time. They report that they don’t get enough sleep an average of 9.2 days each month – that’s almost one-third of the time we’re walking around at less than our best!
When you include medium-sized and smaller cities, Philadelphia ranks 14th. Charleston, West Virginia is the most sleep-deprived city overall. Interestingly, if you look at the top 10 cities, the California cities – you know, where everyone is sooo relaxed – get the most sleep. Only 14.9 percent of San Francisco-area residents report not getting enough sleep, and 16.6 of Los Angelinos. (For you movie buffs, we can report that not too many people are Sleepless in Seattle – Seattle ranks 58th).
There’s a temptation to consider this high (or is it low?) ranking as a badge of honor. That is exactly the wrong way to look at it.
The proper amount of sleep is critical for your overall health – it impacts physical well-being and cognitive function – which has a huge impact on everything from our relationships to our productivity. And yet the ability and/or willingness to go without sleep is seen as heroic.
We need to readjust our thinking – sleep is good. It doesn’t mean you’re lazy. In reality, a commitment to getting the proper sleep is a commitment to being at your best.
Crozer-Keystone offers a multidisciplinary approach to the identification and treatment of all types of sleep disorders. For more information or to make an appointment, visit http://sleepcenters.crozerkeystone.org or call 1-888-SLEEP-03 (1-888-753-3703).
