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.
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SLEEP FACTS:
70% of Americans suffer from sleep disorders (60% are chronic sufferers) |
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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:
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20 to 40% of all adults have insomnia in any
given year |
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One (1) out of three (3) persons have insomnia
at some time in their life |
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Women have double the rate of difficulty
sleeping than do men |
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More than half of individuals over sixty-five
(65) have troublesome sleep patters |
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Those over 65 consume 40% of the sleeping pills
but make up only 13% of the US population |
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84 different classifications of sleep disorders
exist |
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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:
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Behavioral and
Psychotherapeutic - psychological and behavioral modification treatment |
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Rehabilitation and Management
- surgery and rehabilitation |
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Medication - pharmaceutical
treatments |
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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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