Sleep is the most common health sacrifice in modern life — and also one of the most expensive. People proudly say they “function” on four hours, until the body collects the debt through hypertension, weight gain, anxiety, depression, and poor immunity.

The science is clear: the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that the recommended amount of sleep for adults is at least 7 hours per day. This is not luxury. It is baseline maintenance.

Why the body punishes sleep loss

Sleep is not “off time.” It is active repair: hormone regulation, brain clean-up, immune calibration, memory consolidation, and stress recovery. When sleep is chronically short, the body increases stress hormones, appetite signals become louder, and mood becomes more fragile.

Insomnia isn’t always “thinking too much”

Insomnia has many faces: difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, waking too early, or unrefreshing sleep. Sometimes it is stress; sometimes it is caffeine and screens; sometimes it is depression or anxiety; sometimes it is pain, reflux, or sleep apnea.

Investigative clue: If you snore loudly, wake up choking, or feel exhausted despite “sleeping” many hours, sleep apnea must be considered — especially with hypertension or weight gain.

What works: sleep hygiene without the fake discipline

The NHS advice on insomnia consistently returns to a few fundamentals: reduce late caffeine and alcohol, avoid heavy meals late, avoid screens right before bed, keep consistent sleeping hours, and don’t nap during the day if it ruins night sleep.

Most people try to “force sleep.” That often backfires. Instead, treat sleep as a routine you protect — like medication.

A realistic 7-day reset plan

• Day 1–2: Fix your wake-up time (the anchor). Wake up same time daily, even after a bad night.
• Day 3–4: Cut caffeine after lunchtime. Track tea, coffee, energy drinks, and chocolate.
• Day 5: Create a wind-down hour (dim lights, shower, reading, prayer/meditation, journaling).
• Day 6: Remove screens from bed. If you must use a phone, keep it outside the bedroom.
• Day 7: If you can’t sleep after ~20 minutes, get out of bed briefly; return when sleepy.

When to seek help

See a clinician if insomnia lasts weeks, affects daily function, or comes with severe anxiety/depression symptoms, heavy snoring with daytime sleepiness, or repeated waking with choking.

Bottom line: The culture may praise exhaustion, but biology does not. Protecting sleep is one of the strongest investments against chronic illness.