hi, i'm doctor steven tucker let's talk for a quick minute about sleep i'm sure you realize you spend a third of your life asleep at least ideally chronic sleep loss is a major health problem people who have chronic sleep loss increase their risk for heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes high blood pressure and the list goes on patients who have sleep apnea where they stop breathing on occasion late at night while sleeping increase their risk for cancer as well some studies even suggest shift workers people who may have to work at odd hours on a regular basis have an increased risk of heart disease diabetes and cancer i read an article recently talking about sleep and an expert in the u.s. was interviewed and when i asked what is sleep for a twenty-year researcher in the field said we don't know but we know it's important lack of sleep causes great health problems sleep is not some kind of evolutionary mistake your body wouldn't sleep if you didn't need it consider tracking your sleep how much sleep do you get make sure you get seven to eight hours and if you don't then begin on finding out why