Americans work longer hours and sleep less than citizens of most other industrialized countries, says Dr. Even Van Cauter, a sleep researcher at the University of Chicago. The combo causes stress that can lead to exhaustion, a condition characterized by extreme fatigue and physical and emotional collapse that many Americans, even some doctors, don’t want to recognize.

“Exhaustion is real on many levels, but it’s not part of our medical lexicon,” Dr. John Stracks, a mind-body specialist at Northwestern Memorial Hospitals Center for Integrative Medicine, told the Chicago Tribune. When we hear about famous people being diagnosed with exhaustion and prescribed rest “it seems like a spoof, which speaks to how jaded and hard-driving we are these days,” he said.

While exhaustion can be a side effect of many prescription drugs as well as a symptom of many diseases, including cancer and anemia, it’s often just a symptom of overwork and can be treated with simple rest.

But treating it, which may include a couple of weeks of rest and vacation, is often perceived as costly — and perhaps as just an excuse for laziness.

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