Go To Sleep - Everything You Need to Know About Sleep

Over Seventy Million Americans have Sleep Disorders

There are millions of people whose basic desire is simply to go to sleep. You read that right - all they want is a good night's sleep. Statistics* show that over seventy (70) million Americans suffer from sleep disorders and of those, 60% have a chronic issue. With these numbers, you might say that these sleep disorders are of epidemic proportion.

SLEEP FACTS: 70% of Americans suffer from sleep disorders (60% are chronic sufferers)

But the statistics do not stop there. Sleep problems are such a widespread issue that numerous studies have been conducted to understand what medical science is dealing with. Here are some other surprising details about one of America's greatest desires: to go to sleep:

	20 to 40% of all adults have insomnia in any given year
	One (1) out of three (3) persons have insomnia at some time in their life
	Women have double the rate of difficulty sleeping than do men
	More than half of individuals over sixty-five (65) have troublesome sleep patters
	Those over 65 consume 40% of the sleeping pills but make up only 13% of the US population
	84 different classifications of sleep disorders exist
	It is estimated that the sleep problem impact national health care costs at $15.9 billion

The statistics are overwhelming. For such a quiet issue that garners little attention by the national media, its impacts and costs are dramatic. A part of the difficulty of dealing with this problem is that fact that there is not only one kind of sleep disorder. As the statistics above show, there are over 84 different classifications for sleep problems. Here are just a few of the more popular afflictions:

Primary Insomnia: a chronic malady where falling asleep and maintaining sleep though there are no known cause for these symptoms

Sleep Apnea: the temporary ceasing or stopping of breathing while sleeping - causing poor quality sleep

Narcolepsy: dramatic and excessive daytime sleepiness, which often leads to individuals falling to sleep spontaneously and at inappropriate times

Restless Leg Syndrome: is an uncontrollable urge to move one's legs while sleeping or trying to sleep, causing poor sleeping patterns - this if often related to periodic limb movement disorder

Somniphobia: a psychological issue which is literally a fear of sleeping, making it terrifying for individuals who need to go to sleep

With so many different types of sleep infirmities, the treatments are even more numerous due to the number of options that are available through the medical and psychological communities. Treatments are categorized in four (4) common groupings, which include:

	Behavioral and Psychotherapeutic - psychological and behavioral modification treatment
	Rehabilitation and Management - surgery and rehabilitation
	Medication - pharmaceutical treatments
	Other Somatic Treatment - body oriented therapeutics and naturopathy

With such a high occurrence rate, by the 1970's clinics, laboratories and practices strictly devoted to the study, research and treatment of the myriad types of sleep upsets began to be established. Today, Sleep Medicine is a now a recognized specialty within the medical community.

This website is dedicated to the sharing and dissemination of information, data, and statistics relating to the sleep disorder problem - and simply to help people "go to sleep". Please review our ever growing sleep related articles, posts, and pages and feel free to share this information with anyone who needs it.

* - statistics provided by SleepMed

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