A poor night’s sleep not only makes getting through the day difficult, it also may increase your risk of disease, especially if you suffer from chronic lack of sleep. Inadequate sleep has been associated with obesity, diabetes, stroke, heart disease and cancer.

Studies in recent years have identified a relationship between lack of sleep and some of the top cancers in the United States: breast, prostate and colorectal cancers. In addition, research suggests that people who have sleep apnea have an increased risk of developing any type of cancer.

Across the country, at least one in 10 of us experiences some kind of sleep disturbance. Stress, illness, aging and drug treatment are the main culprits. Quality sleep, though, is essential to healing, proper immune function and mental health, making it important for adults to get 7-8 hours of sleep a night.

Researchers continue to study what happens in the…