Tomorrow is World Sleep Day. It’s intended to be a celebration of sleep health and a discussion about the tragic issues related to lack of sleep.

Just how important is sleep and how does it affect us?

Well, it is estimated that around 400 Aussies each year lose their lives at the wheel of a vehicle or in industrial accidents due to lack of sleep. As bad as that sounds, the Sleep Health Foundation also found in their new report that lack of sleep is estimated to impact the economy $17.9 billion each year because of lost productivity.

World Sleep Day is organised by the World Sleep Day Committee of World Sleep Society and aims to educate society about sleep problems through better prevention and management of sleep disorders.

Tess Connery chatted to Helen Gilbert from About Sleep Clinic who is also an Australian Delegate for World Sleep Day about the importance of sleep.