Most adults don't get the recommended eight hours of sleep needed for good health, safety and optimum performance. And almost 70 percent of 1,004 adults surveyed in a recent poll reported experiencing frequent sleep problems, which they had not had diagnosed. "Far too often, the thing we sacrifice in order to cram as much as we can into a day is sleep. Yet sleep is as important as food and exercise," says Marcia Stein, spokeswoman for the National Sleep Foundation, which ran the poll. "Sleep is food for the brain, and we don't function on our best level if we don't sleep apnea mask snoring medication have adequate sleep," she adds. "When people are tired, it causes all sorts of problems." Dr. Mark Mahowald, director of the Minnesota Regional Sleep Disorder Center, says the most serious problems occurs when a tired person gets behind the wheel of a car. "Car crashes resulting from drivers falling asleep probably kill more people under the age of 25 than alcohol-related crashes," he says. "Our society is very aware that it's inappropriate to drive or go to work intoxicated. But we are not ready to acknowledge the fact that sleep deprivation is also something that you shouldn't have behind the wheel," Mahowald says. snoring treatment + louisiana snoring medication The extent of the sleep problem has prompted the NSF to launch a campaign that includes a free self-assessment guide to help people identify possible sleep problems. The guide, available on the NSF's Web site (see below), features a checklist for symptoms of sleep problems and encourages people to discuss any symptoms with their doctor. Symptoms that may indicate a problem include: Feeling sleepy or dozing off while watching TV, reading, driving or performing daily activities; Trouble with sleep at least three nights a week. The problems can include difficulty falling asleep, waking frequently during the night, waking too early and not being able snoring help snoring medication to
