A Sick Economy Can Be Hazardous to Your Health

The economy, the economy, the economy: Americans seem able to think of little else. How could they? The negative reports on job losses, tanking investments, housing prices and consumer confidence keep coming, leaving us not just unwilling to spend but stressed-out and fearful, and that stress takes a toll, on sleep, mood, physical health, relationships, diet (and thus weight) and, perhaps, our willingness to indulge in favorite vices. The correlation between economic uncertainty and personal health is not clear. What follows are several articles that take a statistical look at how Americans are faring.

-- Los Angeles Times

One-third of Americans report losing sleep over the economy.

Twenty percent say they are sleeping less than six hours a night, short of the optimum seven to eight. Of those sleeping less, 90 percent say they suffer from insomnia. Nearly 40 percent said they had driven while drowsy at least once in the previous month.

Among people who sleep less than six hours a night, there is a 66 percent increased prevalence of hypertension.

People who sleep less than six hours a night are more than five times as likely to develop prediabetes.

Those who sleep less than seven hours a night are three times as likely to become sick with a cold.

Sources: 2009 poll of 1,000 adults conducted for the National Sleep Foundation; 2006 Boston University School of Medicine study published in the journal Sleep; American Heart Association; 2009 study published in Archives of Internal Medicine.