Intro: It’s Tanisha Nicole here for another edition of Ask a Scientist. Today I’m talking to Dr. Marishka Brown from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute at NIH about sleep. 
 
TN: Dr. Brown, why is sleep so important? 

MB: Decades of research has shown that sleep is critical not only for your mental health but your physical health as well. 
 
TN: What happens when we don’t get good sleep? 

MB: Poor sleep has been shown to significantly decrease cognitive function, including lapses of attention, alertness and response times. 

TN: That makes sense, but what about our overall physical health? 
 
MB: Research has shown insufficient sleep leads to higher rates of cardiovascular risk factors, such as obesity and chronic disease, such as hypertension and diabetes, and even events such as stroke. 

TN: So, what’s the bottom line? 
 
MB: Data shows us if you don’t have good sleep, you don’t have good health. 
 
Outro: To learn more about sleep health, visit nhlbi.nih.gov.