Sleep Deficiency – a Public Health Epidemic
By Wayne Caswell, founder of Modern Health Talk and cofounder of Intelligent Sleep
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 70 million American workers suffer from chronic sleep problems, and researchers have associated their insufficient sleep with increased risks of inflammation, obesity, diabetes, depression, cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, Alzheimer’s, and early death. That’s why the CDC has labeled sleep deficiency “a public health epidemic.”
Just as important are the positive benefits that getting good sleep provides. It helps improve alertness, attention, concentration, creativity, decision-making, driver safety, energy, focus, judgment, mood, reaction & recovery times, stamina, and working memory. These are all attributes of good performance at school, work and in sports, and who doesn’t want to make better grades, advance their career, or excel in athletics?
The problem is that our culture once looked upon sleep as a waste of time, but it’s now becoming clear just how essential sleep is to living healthy, happy and productive lives. During deep, restorative sleep is when the body heals, produces important hormones, and solidifies memories.
Our nation’s sleep problems still persist, however, even after spending $32 billion/year on pillow & mattress technology, various sleep aids, prescription drugs, and overnight sleep studies & CPAP machines.
With this recent awareness of the need, and a growing demand for solutions, a plethora of digital devices and apps have emerged to measure how well people are sleeping. Some of these are more accurate than others, but at least they can establish a baseline and get us thinking about sleep and tracking progress.
Intelligent Sleep is a local sleep wellness center that reviews these products and helps its clients choose the right solution and approach to improve their sleep and brain health. According to owner Dr. Bruce Wayne Meleski, they fill a gap in the bifurcated sleep market with natural and holistic solutions based on science.
“Adequate sleep is a key element of proper health and brain function,” says Dr. Meleski. “The brain adapts to stimuli and responds to its environment in a way that can affect performance. Intelligent Sleep programs down-regulate the ‘fight or flight’ response. They incorporate massage, sound therapy, biofeedback and advanced mindfulness training as well as coaching to help relax and restore the body.”
Besides providing specialty beds and sleep products, Meleski’s expert team functions as “personal trainers for sleep and brain health,” with vetted products and programs that have been shown to improve overall health and enhance performance.
During the week of April 3-11, Intelligent Sleep will be hosting its Grand Opening at their new location at nearby 7415 Burnet Rd. The schedule includes a Grand reception, presentations on Intelligent Sleep products & programs, full seminar offerings, product demonstrations and specials, and free massage. Activities will be suitable for children as well as adults. The complete schedule will be posted on www.intelligentsleep.com/events as each activity is confirmed. Space is limited, so some activities will need reservations.
About the Author
Wayne Caswell is a retired IBM technologist, market strategist, and founder of Modern Health Talk (www.mhealthtalk.com), where he writes about health reform, the future of healthcare, and solutions for independent living. It’s with that perspective that Wayne became interested in the important impact that good or bad sleep can have on our health, safety and performance, and it’s why he is helping to launch the Intelligent Sleep wellness center and hopes you will join us at the grand opening or future events.
In this 3:10 min video from BeSmartBeWell.com, a variety of people give truthful — sometimes humorous — answers to questions about their own sleep habits while Mayo Clinic Sleep Medicine Specialist Timothy Morgenthaler, MD, provides practical tips for how to get more sleep. Together, the responses offer an eye-opening look at sleep in America.
*Your blog is very informative. You really told the most necessary advantages of Sleep to our body. I really liked it.
EDITOR: This comment links to a sleep aid nutritional supplement with ingredients associated with good sleep, including melatonin and 5-HTP, although I can’t say anything about the quality or effectiveness.