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Notice to Readers: National Sleep Awareness Week, March 3--9, 2008
March 3--9, 2008, is National Sleep Awareness Week. The National Sleep Foundation recommends that
healthy adults sleep 7--9 hours daily. Younger persons need even more sleep. Sufficient sleep is increasingly being recognized
as an essential aspect of health maintenance
(1). Sleep-related complaints are common; 60 million persons in the
United States experience them, and 20% of patients
consulting a general practitioner report sleep disturbances
(2).
Insufficient sleep might result from lifestyles and behaviors, medical conditions, and other factors.
Persons experiencing insufficient sleep might be suffering from chronic insomnia, sleep apnea (commonly characterized
by periodic gasping or snorting during sleep), narcolepsy (sudden, extreme sleepiness coupled with a loss of muscle
tone), or restless legs syndrome (a "crawling" sensation seemingly arising from the lower legs, characteristically relieved
by movement, such as walking or kicking) (3). Insufficient sleep has been linked to impaired school and work
performance and to the development of chronic diseases and conditions, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity,
and depression (4). Increased recognition of the importance of sleep and sleep disorders is pivotal to heightening
awareness of adequate sleep as a sign of good health. Additional information about the public health implications of sleep
is available at . Additional information regarding sufficient sleep is available from the
National Sleep Foundation at .
References
US Department of Health and Human Services, National Center on Sleep Disorders Research. 2003 National Sleep Disorders Research
Plan. Available at
.
Andreasen NC, Black DW. Introductory textbook of psychiatry. 3rd ed. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc.; 2001.
Reite M, Ruddy J, Nagel K. Concise guide to evaluation and management of sleep disorders. 3rd
ed.Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing; 2002.
ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø. Sleep and chronic disease. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø; 2007. Available at
.
Use of trade names and commercial sources is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services.References to non-ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø sites on the Internet are
provided as a service to MMWR readers and do not constitute or imply
endorsement of these organizations or their programs by ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø or the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø is not responsible for the content
of pages found at these sites. URL addresses listed in MMWR were current as of
the date of publication.
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