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So why has theCenter for Disease Controldeclared bad sleep a public health epidemic?

Now the bad news: we’re still really, really tired.

A woman with dark hair lies in bed yawning because she is so tired and ready to sleep

TheCDCfound roughly 13.5% of adults are exhausted most days andsleep deprivationcan affect both our mental and physical wellbeing.

While those in non-industrial societies sleep less, they display a better circadian function.

In the industrialized world where we’re surrounding by artificial lights and air conditioning our circadian function is diminished.

A woman with afro hair wearing blue shirt waking up in three quarter bed with grey sheets, stretching our arms

Our body clock isn’t aligned with our behavior.

Here are some steps to take…

1.

One major difference between industrialized and non-industrialized society is the prevalence of artificial lighting.

Woman waking up and stretching in bed bathed in sunlight

As another plus,fresh air can help fight fatigue.

Low lighting in the evening and acooler bedroom temperaturehave both been linked to better sleep.

Try segmented sleep

There’s evidence to suggest ourancestors enjoyed a segmented or biphasic sleep pattern.

A man sleeping on his side in bed with white sheets and white night clothes

Essentially, sleeping in two shifts with a notable wake up period in the middle.

Waking up in the night is normal few of us actually sleep through.

However, one of the best ways to offset your circadian mismatch is to actually listen to your body.

A woman sleeping on her front looking towards the camera in bed looking tired from not sleeping

When do you naturally start to feel sleepy?

And when do you wake up without your alarm clock?

A woman sleeping on her front holding a small white alarm clock, with a Tom�s Guide Sleep Week 2025 label in the top right corner

A nurse wearing blue scrubs asleep on her side on a bench in a hospital

Tester under the weighted blanket lying on her side in a bright bedroom

The image shows a sleep deprived woman lying in bed and holding her hands over her eyes

A chocolate Easter egg in pink tin foil next to image of blonde woman in purple star patterned pyjamas struggling to sleep in bed with white sheets

Woman lying down on the bed and smiling feeling comfortable

A woman lying on her side sleeping with a handdrawn thought bubble over her head to show she�s thinking

A woman with dark brown hair lies on her side staring at the back of a white alarm clock that shows the time as 2.30am

A woman with short brown hair sitting on bed with white sheets with a glass of green Spirulina smoothie in hand

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