I don't think we need any 'expert to know good quality sleep makes the ifference to the day.

If it makes such a difference to a day - mood, concentration etc- it isn't rocket science to extrapolate 50 years of poor sleep affecting the efficiency of your body in a million other ways.

Is it?, really?
Common sense is a wonderful thing sometimes.

And now the ouch! part...

it scares me to think that the job I love is slowly killing me.

you are killing yourself, not your job.
Your decisions about your own body are killing you.
(because you dont't love yourself?- I dunno, it's not my life. I'm not psychoanalyzing you! lol)

Put the responsibility of your own choices, in life , where it lays...

I can't send you a cyber plaster, sorry mate!

Good luck!