Way too many of us are way too sleepy during the day, yet unable to get a good night’s sleep at night. In addition to causing drowsiness and irritability, lack of sleep can have real and permanent damaging consequences for our physical health and well-being. In fact, new preliminary research out of Boston reports that sleep-disordered breathing (including sleep apnea), if left untreated, can accelerate the epigenetic aging process in your body. So those restless nights are not only making you cranky but may literally be making you grow older more quickly. And a just-released study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology finds a causal link between the number of hours you sleep and your risk of a heart attack. Those who sleep less than 6 hours/night or more than 9 hours/night are increasing the likelihood of a heart attack, by a potentially significant amount. So when it comes to heart health, it turns out that sleep may be just as important as diet or smoking. To find out more, put on your pajamas and read here.

There are many possible reasons that sleep becomes more of an issue as you get older, but one thing is clear: if you carry on your activities of daily living with insufficient sleep, you may be putting yourself as well as others, at risk. In fact, 100,000 car crashes occur each year due to drowsy driving, causing over 1500 fatalities as a result. So if you’re sleep-deprived, make yourself aware of some new ideas and possible interventions to help improve the situation. One recent study has scientifically validated the benefit of a warm bath or shower 1-2 hours before bedtime, to get your body temperature down to a level to promote better sleep. And fitness consultant Keenan Eriksson has a comprehensive guide to getting a good night’s sleep with an array of suggested interventions and gear that should create a better sleep environment. So stop yawning and read more here.