No snooze button on treating sleep disorders

Abstract

[thereby] treating the patient’s whole well-being just like [the recommendations for] nutrition and exercise.” Many of the advances of modern life contribute to the different sleep problems clinicians fi nd in an estimated 30% to 40% of Americans. Air travel, shift work, smartphones buzzing and vibrating in the night, television and the internet—all contribute to insomnia, hypersomnia (sleeping during the day), parasomnia (disruptive sleep), circadian rhythm disturbances, narcolepsy, or sleep apnea. One-half of patients have chronic sleep disturbance. For people who sleep for far less than 8 hours each night or who have jobs or lifestyles that require them to sleep during the day, physiologic or psychological problems may ensue eventually in the form of fatigue, headache, irritability, inattentiveness, or narcolepsy. More serious health problems can also develop, including hypertension and other cardiovascular disorders.