Sleep is fundamental for maintaining overall health, yet many underestimate its importance. Dr. Pushkar A. Shikarkhane, consulting physician at Lilavati Hospital, emphasizes that adequate sleep supports tissue repair, memory consolidation, and hormonal regulation, bolstering the immune system and enhancing cognitive function. Conversely, chronic sleep deprivation increases the risk of serious health issues like depression, diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. Dr. Shikarkhane notes that modern lifestyles, including screen addiction and environmental stressors, disrupt sleep patterns. He recommends 7-9 hours of uninterrupted sleep during physiological hours (approximately 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.) for optimal health. Insufficient sleep can lead to a range of health problems, including hypertension, diabetes, heart attack, stroke, fatty liver, GERD, increased accident risk, dementia, Parkinson's disease, infertility, PCOD, obesity, addictions, anxiety, depression, erectile dysfunction, frozen shoulder, allergies, hair loss, and glaucoma, and increased susceptibility to infections, including COVID-19.