LONDON, England (CNN) \u2014 It\u2019s a mistake to underestimate the power of sleep. The former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher once proclaimed she slept only four hours a night.<\/p>\n
What she didn\u2019t tell us was that years of too little sleep eventually takes its toll on our health and possibly causes premature death.<\/p>\n
About 30 percent of British people will experience\u00a0sleep disorders<\/a>\u00a0during their lives, from\u00a0insomnia<\/a>\u00a0to sleep apnoea, which is linked to cardiovascular problems.<\/p>\n Many more will experience pervasive\u00a0tiredness<\/a>, propping themselves up with caffeine or sugar. Business is thriving for private sleep clinics, which treat an increasing number of people with\u00a0sleep disorders<\/a>.<\/p>\n They include those upset by world events such as the Iraq war or professionals who find the\u00a0stresses<\/a>\u00a0of work prevent them \u201cswitching off\u201d\u2018 at night.<\/p>\n While serious\u00a0sleep disorders<\/a>\u00a0such as sleep apnoea sometimes requires medical treatment, so called \u2018low level\u2019\u00a0sleep disorder<\/a>\u00a0such a\u00a0tiredness<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0insomnia<\/a>\u00a0affected many more of us, yet they are likely to be untreated.<\/p>\n