So much around us happens 24/7 now it's no surprise we can have trouble finding time to relax. So, when something has to give, sleep is often where we cut corners.
When you consider that adequate, sound sleep is as important to us as food, water and exercise, it's a healthcare crisis in the making.
People who have trouble sleeping are more likely to have had healthcare visits within the past year, to have been admitted to hospital and to have missed six or more days of work, Dr Jon-Erik Holty from California's Stanford University told the Associated Professional Sleep Societies' 25th annual meeting in June this year.
''And those reporting trouble sleeping were also more likely to have cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, depression, diabetes or hypertension,'' he said.
No sleep, no function
Dr Sarah Blunden, a sleep research fellow at the University of South Australia's Centre for Sleep Research, says it's simple: if you don't sleep, nothing else works.

The trouble is adults, especially, are very good at adapting to getting less sleep.
''We know that if we don't sleep we don't do well but we do adapt to less sleep, so that's a reinforcement that it's OK to go without,'' Blunden says.
In the short term, displacing sleep with work, partying or - and Blunden says this is a leading culprit behind sleep loss - social media will not kill you, she says.
''But we do know that over the long term, people who sleep less than optimum hours are more prone to serious diseases like cardiovascular disease and cancer.''
Out of whack
There are three main reasons that people don't sleep well, Dr Blunden says: environmental, psychological and physiological.
''To sleep, the body needs to be in what I call a state of 'oneness' - calm mind, have everything done, not be stressed, have the correct environment around you, the right time of day, be tired enough … Amazingly, we do all these things normally.''
But when one of these factors is out of whack, a good night's sleep can quickly become a thing of the past.
''Something often triggers sleep difficulty,'' Associate Professor Delwyn Bartlett from Sydney University's Woolcock Institute of Medical Research says. ''It can be anything from moving house to relationship or financial difficulties, even something as simple as jet lag. It can push a person over a threshold of insomnia and then sleep becomes the central component of their life.''
Then obsession can make the problem worse, she says.
''Individuals with insomnia tend not to seek treatment in the early stages,'' Bartlett says.
''They spend more time in bed trying to sleep but they end up spending more time in bed awake and then they develop what we call sleep anxiety, or sleep worry, which perpetuates the insomnia.''
Spend less time in bed
It seems counter-intuitive but the best thing somebody can do if they are not sleeping well is to spend less time in bed, Bartlett says.
''Get out of bed at the same time every morning and get some light, get some exercise and know that if you keep these boundaries in place, sleep will come back.''

Why can't I sleep?

Environmental

 Moving from a quiet environment to a noisy one (or vice versa).
 Snacking late at night. Digesting and sleeping do not go well together.
 Drinking too much coffee. Caffeine stays in the body for six hours.
 Distractions. Work, partying, TV, phone calls, social media.

Psychological

 Feeling stressed and having trouble unwinding before bed.
 Becoming obsessed with sleep.
 Grieving.

Physiological

 Jet lag.
Sleep apnoea. About 6 per cent of people with untreated obstructive sleep apnoea have insomnia but don't know it.
A health problem, such as pain, new medication, medical conditions such as restless legs and cardiovascular disease.
Vitamin deficiency. Not having enough iron, vitamin D, fish oil, magnesium and calcium can all affect sleep.
Sources: Dr Sarah Blunden (University of South Australia) and Associate Professor Delwyn Bartlett (University of Sydney).