Get a Good Night's Sleep!

Go to Sleep!

Evidence linking sleep with behavior, mood and learning continues to grow. Now scientists are finding that reduced or disrupted sleep appears to increase the risk of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
"The depth and breadth of sleep problems is not fully appreciated in this country," says US Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona. "Chronic sleep loss and untreated sleep disorders have a profound impact on Americans of all ages--they affect 70 million Americans and cost our nation $15 billion in health care expenses."
At the first NIH National Sleep Conference, March 29 and 30, participants looked at how insufficient sleep and sleep disorders impact the body's immune function, the development of psychiatric conditions including depression, and the progression of other chronic medical conditions such as breathing disorders and lung diseases, arthritis, and neurological disorders.
"We are all affected by sleep problems," adds Dr. Carl Hunt, Director of the National Center for Sleep Disorder Research, a Congressionally-mandated organization. "Even if you personally get sufficient sleep to feel refreshed each day, chances are you interact with someone who has a sleep problem. It could be your mother, whose sleep apnea increases her chances of developing heart disease; your carpool driver, who might be at increased risk for a car crash because of poor sleep; or your child, who has trouble in school because she doesn't get enough sleep at night."