We all have felt the effects of a great night of sleep, and those of poor or little sleep. We value sleep, but don’t always give it the attention it deserves. We often think of sleep as a luxury throughout the work week - something we sacrifice for a few more hours of work or social media scrolling, late night hangouts with friends or colleagues, or staying up stressing about a big presentation or the upcoming tax season. Maybe we think we can offset these poor sleep hygiene practices on our weekends when we sleep in longer. But what if skipping out on sleep wasn’t just making you groggy and irritable the next day, but quietly harming your heart and taking years off of your life in the long-term? Poor sleep has been consistently shown to lead to increased heart disease risk, elevated blood pressure, altered metabolism, and systemic inflammation. Today, we will dive into the current research and discover how important sleep is for our health, our hearts, and our longevity.