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Body SleepMatters!

Sleep Matters!

1. National Sleep Foundation
The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving public health and safety by heightening the public's understanding of the importance of sleep. Read the NSFs Executive Summary - Less Fun, Less Sleep, More Work: An American Portrait for startling facts about national sleep habits.

Are you aware that "Nearly two-thirds of adults in the U.S. (62%) experienced a sleep problem a few nights per week or more during the past year"? After priming yourself with the basics, read the NSF 2000 Omnibus Sleep In America Poll for statistics that suggest ALMOST EVERYONE needs a better night's sleep!

Also, take an NSF Sleep Daytime Sleepiness Test.

Finally, help yourself to a good night's sleep by reading Helping Yourself to a Good Night's Sleep!

2. USA Today
We all know how important a restful night's sleep is for our overall health and wellness... or do we? The following USA Today articles are a clear indication that not as many people benefit from a restful night sleep as you might think...
  • Bad Habits Make America Droopy
  • Losing Sleep Can Age You
  • Snuggle up with a Good Quiz
  • Sleeping can become a nightmare
  • A teen thing: Losing sleep
  • Sleep apnea: Most sufferers are in the dark
  • Sleepless in America Index

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    3. Medem.com
    Healthcare information brought to you by the nation's leading Medical Societies! Our search for "sleep" produced an abundance of informative articles. Among them:

    Sleep: A Dynamic activity (National Institute of Neurological Disorders And Stroke)
    A comprehensive and informative article outlining why sleep is necessary. Subjects include Sleep: A Dynamic Activity. How Much Sleep Do We Need? What Does Sleep Do For Us? Dreaming and REM. Sleep and Circadian Rhythms. Sleep and Disease. Sleep Disorders. Tips for a Good NightÕs Sleep.

    Changes In Sleep Quality Related to Changes in Hormone Levels as Men Grow Older
    This study, which appeared in The Journal of the American Medical Association (March 16, 2000), concludes: "Strategies to prevent or limit decrements of sleep quality in midlife and late life may therefore represent an indirect form of hormonal therapy with possible beneficial health consequence."

    Integration of Behavioral and Relaxation Approaches into the Treatment of chronic pain and Insomnia
    The National Institutes of Health Technology state: "A number of well-defined behavioral and relaxation interventions now exist and are effective in the treatment of chronic pain and insomnia."

    Common Sleep Problems
    Here, the American Academy of Pediatrics evaluates some of the sleep problems that affect our children.

    After reading the article's above, run your own Medem.com search. Their archives are updated frequently!

    4. US News.com
    The following articles appeared in a US News issue titled Sleepless in America:

    1. Sleepless Society

    2. Today's kids: Overscheduled and overtired

    3. Sleep Quiz

    5. Sleep Home Pages
    Sleep Home Pages combines a Biographic Portal, Publication Portal, Resource Portal, Discussions Portal, Specialty Portal, Miscellaneous Portal, and Organizations Portal. The following links are examples of what you'll find at Sleep Home Pages:

    • A comprehensive syllabus "designed for undergraduate students, graduate students, medical students and post-doctoral scholars." A MUST read for anyone interested in sleep behavior and the importance of quality sleep!

    Are you aware of the impact sleep has on memory?

    6. CNN Interactive
    Did you know: more than 40 million Americans suffer from sleep disorders! Visit CNNs Sleeping Conditions for information about sleep disorders, prevention, treatments, and more!

    Also, take a sleep test based on The Epworth Sleepiness Scale, an established test used worldwide by sleep professionals to measure sleep deprivation and daytime sleepiness!

    Finally, informative articles about the benefits of quality sleep... and the detriments of unrestful nights!

    7. The Phenomena of Sleep
    Published by The Karger Gazette in April 1997, this essay addresses the following subjects:

    1. Sleep Phenomena
    2. The Measurement of Human Sleep
    3. Why Do We Sleep?
    4. Dreaming
    5. Other Sleep Theories
    6. Sleep Deprivation
    7. Sleep and the Human Cerebral Cortex

    8. MedlinePlus Health Information
    MedlinePlus, a service of the National Library of Medicine, is home to an exhaustive Sleep Disorders Reference Page which contains many sleep resources grouped by category, such as: General Overview, Latest News, Clinical Trials, Alternative Therapies, Coping, Disease Management, Specific Conditions/Aspects, Treatment, Statistics, Women, Children, Seniors and more!

     

    9. Sleep IQ Test (PDF)
    Prepared by the National Lung, Heart, and Blood Institute, this test is very informative and will educate you to educate others... on the importance of quality sleep!

    (The sleep IQ Test is in PDF Format. To view test: 1) Click link. 2) Save the file to your desktop. 3) Double click file to open. Note: You must have Adobe Acrobat to view this test.)

    10. MSNBC
    After reading the following introduction on the importance of quality sleep, scroll down and click "Complete Story" to produce the entire article.

    11. NBC Nightly News: Sleepless In America
    Take the "What's keeping you awake?" Quiz and learn about dozing, dreams, paralysis, and recharging in "What happens when you sleep?"

    12. Virtual Hospital - University of Iowa Health Care
    Nearly one-third of our life is spent sleeping. Below, various practitioners offer general advice for getting the most out of sleep.

    13. KidsHealth
    Here, the medical experts of The Nemours Foundation address the importance of Teens and Sleep.

    14. NIH: Word on Health

    15. The Better Sleep Council ~New and User Suggested!
    Established over twenty years ago, the Better Sleep Council (BSC) is a nonprofit organization "devoted to educating the public about the importance of sleep to good health and quality of life and about the value of the sleep system and sleep environment in pursuit of a good night's sleep."