Sleep 'is a physical need'

Rather than a luxury we can do without, sleep is a physical need that we must make time to enjoy, it has been claimed.

A leading sleep pattern specialist in New Zealand claims that individuals who suffer from sleep disorders for extended period of times experience a negative impact on their health, work performance, safety and emotional wellbeing.

Instead of trying to live the 24-hours-a-day and seven-days-a-week lifestyle, people have been urged to prioritise time for sleep, the Otago Daily Times reports.

Professor Philippa Gader, director of the Sleep/Wake Research Centre at Massey University, said: "Sleep is a physical need. If you don't get enough sleep, you will eventually fall asleep involuntarily, which could be disastrous if you are driving at the time."

NHS Direct notes that sleep is necessary to give the body time to recuperate and build up strength after being awake during the day.

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