Did you get enough sleep last night? If not, you are not alone. Self-reported sleep data suggests that most folks in industrialized countries are getting less sleep than we need. One study that examined 669 American adults found the average sleep duration was just 6.1 hours, which for most people is simply not enough for optimal health and function. Short sleep is associated with a plethora of problems, ranging from impaired immune function , to worse glucose tolerance , to increased risk of traffic accidents . People who report less sleep tend to weigh more , and are more vulnerable to psychiatric conditions such as depression . So this is a really big deal! Interestingly, community surveys suggest that the prevalence of inadequate sleep has been increasing in Western countries for some time. In the early 1900s, Americans were reported to average as much as nine hours of sleep per night – around 20-30% more than we are now! So why are we getting so little sleep now? What