From everything I’ve read and heard over the past ten years, there is a health condition plaguing America that is far more deadly and devastating than the opioid epidemic, flu and even the coronavirus. It results in far more doctor visits, hospitalizations and deaths than any other health crisis plaguing the nation and I’m not talking about cancer, either.

It’s sugar. A non-restrictive substance that is more addictive than millions of people realize and that addiction has deadly consequences.

Americans consume sugar in all kinds of foods and drinks. In fact, if you read the labels on many foods you eat, you may be surprised to see sugar listed as an ingredient. It’s also an ingredient in many fruit juices.

Sugar is directly responsible for the epidemic of obesity and diabetes which both contribute to heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, liver disease, blindness and more.

Millions of Americans are not only addicted to sugar, but they also spend millions of dollars trying to break their addiction to sugar in the hopes of losing weight and ending their diabetes and heart disease. Just search on the internet for diets that restrict sugar intake. I know as I’ve been on several of these diet programs over the years. I can also testify that conquering one’s addiction to sugar is much like that of alcohol. I went for over a year without eating or drinking things laden with sugar and thought I had conquered my addiction, but believing that I could have just one sweet treat wouldn’t hurt, was just like a recovering alcoholic taking one drink. That one drink or one sweet treat led to another and then another. With alcohol, it’s referred to as being an alcoholic but with sugar, it’s referred to as having a sweet tooth, as if it’s not nearly as bad, when in fact it is.

The question many want to know, is what can they do without using some harsh drug or enrolling in some expensive program to break their sugar addiction? Could the answer be as simple as sleeping?

Check out this report:

If you find yourself eating too much added sugar and unhealthy fats, it might be because you’re not getting enough sleep, according to a study published Monday in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Researchers from Columbia University’s Irving Medical Center examined the associations between measures of sleep quality and the dietary patterns of nearly 500 women who participated in the AHA Go Red for Women program, a year-long study of sleep patterns and cardiovascular risk in women.

What they found was that the poorer their quality of sleep, and the less they slept, the more the women consumed added sugars, saturated fats and caffeine.

According to the researchers, the findings are important because women are at high risk for obesity and sleep disorders, which can both be driven by a high intake of food. Foods high in added sugars and unhealthy fats are also linked to health conditions and diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease and obesity.

We often hear reports of why getting enough sleep is important for our mental and physical health. Getting enough sleep gives our bodies time to recoup and rebuild and even download stress. It helps us stay more alert at work and makes us more productive.

From this study, we learn that getting the proper amount of sleep may also be the key to breaking our addiction to sugar and fats, which would make a huge positive impact on our health and longevity.