Punjab, Sept. 9 -- In the hierarchy of health advice, sleep sits below diet and exercise in most people's attention. The evidence does not support that ranking.
What short sleep does
Persistent short sleep is associated with impaired glucose regulation, increased appetite and altered hunger signalling, higher blood pressure, and reduced immune response. It also degrades the two things people usually cut sleep to gain: concentration and judgement.
The effect on diet is particularly circular. Poor sleep increases cravings for high-calorie food, which makes the dietary changes people attempt harder to sustain, which is often read as a failure of willpower.
Why Indian cities make it harder
Long commutes push both ends of the day, late dinn...