How common is sleep deprivation?
- Sleep deprivation can be acute or chronic.
- By definition, going without sleep for 24 hours is total acute sleep loss, whereas sleeping < 6 hours a night for ≥ 6 nights is considered chronic sleep deprivation.
- People in industrialized nations are sleeping less.
- In the United States, for example, over 30% of adults age < 64 years report sleeping < 6 hours per night, leaving no doubt that many patients are accumulating chronic sleep deprivation.
