Sleep: It's the best thing since lunch

Sleep. From the necessity standpoint it’s right up there with water; if you’re anything like me you’re not getting enough of either. Lets talk honestly about sleep for a second though, and spare me the hypocrisy of writing this at 2am.

U.S. society neglects the possibility of catching up with missed sleep during the day; you either get your eight hours or you don’t. If you ask me we “Americans” have got it all screwed up; the siesta is the best intuitive thought since lunch (here for more on the siesta). In many Central American Countries a Siesta, or nap, for those of you who took French and not Spanish, follows lunch. Lunch is also the biggest meal of the day not dinner. Just think, if we reframed the timing of meals and way our society approaches sleep we might respond to both a little better; waking up more refreshed and going to bed free of indigestion.

You may as will blame Thomas Edison for his invention of the light bulb, according to the 2002 Sleep in America poll, today Americans (those from the U.S.) sleep and average of 6.9 hours a night and 7.5 hours per night on weekends. Still not cutting the 8-hour rule. Before the light bulb people slept an average or 10 hours a night, changes in sleep occurred with changes in seasons and rising of the sun.

Of course today we have many more distractions among them: the iphone, facebook, stumbleupon.com, magazines, TV and alarm clocks. In fact in studies done by the National Sleep Research Project, experts say that 24-hour accessibility to the internet is amongst the most alluring of sleep distractions (click here to find out other sleep facts that'll make you want to got back to bed). Makes you want to stop stocking that cute guy or girl on facebook or stop stumbling doesn’t it?

Studies show that of all Americans women get the least amount of sleep, linking lack of sleep to deepression it is also suggested that this is a contributing factor in why there are more women battling depression then men. In light of this situation the Huffpost in partnership with Glamour is challenging women to get more sleep, with their "Sleep Challenge 2010: Women, It's Time to Sleep Our Way to the Top. Literally." Click here for more on women's sleep issues and to check out what the challenge is all about.

Get some shut eye folks, chances are it'll be better for your tomorrow then whatever you're staying up to do tonight. Sweet dreams!