Three o’clock in the morning — for some people, it’s the most anxiety-producing time. It’s when they wake up after just a few hours of shut-eye and then fail to fall back asleep.
For other people, it’s the dreaded hour when they realize they have yet to fall asleep. The clock is ticking toward their wake-up time, and they haven’t even hit a dream cycle.
Missing sleep can lead to more than just a sluggish day. Sleep medicine scientists have established that poor sleep is related to poor health. And in more recent years, sleep medicine researchers have also gained a greater understanding of how a lack of sleep can jeopardize mental health.
Scientists and advocates are calling for more research and attention into what they warn is a growing public health concern.
