According to the 2008 "Sleep in America" poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation, 29% of respondents said they fell asleep at work -- or came at least close to nodding off -- during the past month.

As you might already know, even mild sleep loss, such as losing 40 minutes a day for a week, can negatively impact your work performance.

What you might not realize though, is that even mild sleep loss over time can impact how your body functions and can lead to chronic illnesses. For example, poor sleep habits affect weight control and can cause you to slowly gain weight over time.

Sleep affects how the body regulates glucose. Lack of sleep can trigger the fight or flight response -- what we call anxiety symptoms. Sleep is an ESSENTIAL part of an anxiety-free lifestyle. It's not optional. Why? Because without sleep, over time your body's stress switch can get stuck in the "on" position and you are constantly bombarded by the fight or flight response.

In a nutshell, this means that you feel anxious all of the time, plagued by physical symptoms and obsessive thoughts. Even with the best intentions, it's difficult to put anxiety reduction strategies into practice when you are sleep deprived.

I know it can feel difficult to "make time" for sleep in today's busy world. However, the whole concept of "making time" for sleep indicates a need for an attitude shift because sleep is not something optional that you "make time" for. It's essential, just as breathing and eating are, and should be treated the same way. 

Keep in mind that you can't make up for sleep deprivation by playing a few nights of catch-up. It's got to be a top priority in your life because without adequate sleep everything else suffers.

Getting more sleep means decreasing other less-important things in your life. One of the easiest ways for most people to dedicate more time to sleep is to watch less TV. The average American adult watches four and a half hours of television a day. Consider watching an hour less of television a day. Go to bed an hour earlier instead.

Note: If you're having trouble sleeping due to anxiety, make sure to use the techniques in our Conquer Anxiety Success Program at www.conqueranxiety.com . These strategies show you how to address both the physical symptoms and the obsessive thoughts that can produce insomnia, and they give you powerful "how-to" tools to create lasting freedom from anxiety.