Sleep needed for good health!
We spend one-third of our life sleeping – or at least we try to. It is an important part of our overall health to get sufficient and proper sleep. Unfortunately, many of us have problems with getting a good night’s sleep and find ourselves struggling with everyday activities. There has been more research done regarding sleep in recent years that have led to new findings about the importance of sleep and how to deal with sleep disorders. If you believe your night is not as restful and rejuvenating as it should be, check out these ten websites about sleep health and disorders.
1. NIH: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/brain_basics/understanding_sleep.htm
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The NIH offers a free mailed brochure regarding understanding sleep as well as quite a bit of information on their website. This section of the NIH website includes information about sleep, how much sleep we need, what sleep does for us, dreaming and REM sleep, sleep and Circadian rhythms, sleep and disease, sleep disorders, the future and tips for a good night’s sleep. The sleep disorders section discusses insomnia, sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome and narcolepsy.
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This article on the Mayo Clinic website offers 7 steps to better sleep. If you follow these steps, they believe you will be encourage a more restful sleep than if you didn’t. There are other articles on the site that could be of interest as well, including one on sleep deprivation and OTC sleep aids – look under Sleep in the Expert Answers tab for more topics about sleep. The sleep guidelines article is a good resource for letting you know how many hours of sleep are needed for good health.
3. Harvard – Healthy Sleep: http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/
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This site is a resource from the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School and WGBH Educational Foundation. It offers three main sections: Why Sleep Matters, The Science of Sleep and Getting the Sleep You Need. The first section deals with health, memory, safety and the cultural significance of sleep. The second section discusses how the brain, jet lag, caffeine and aging influence sleep. The third section is about achieving better rest and health and knowing when to seek treatment. The historical and cultural perspectives of sleep section is particularly interesting as it shows how mankind has looked at sleep throughout time.
4. CDC – Sleep and Sleep Disorders: http://www.cdc.gov/sleep/
Global Alexa Rating: 2,296
Although most people think of the CDC in terms of things like the flu, pandemics and preventing outbreaks, they are involved in much more than that including doing research on sleep and sleep disorders. This section of the CDC website discuses sleep, data & statistics and ongoing projects. They recognize that insufficient sleep is associated with a number of chronic diseases which threaten our nation’s overall health.
5. National Sleep Foundation (NSF): http://sleepfoundation.org/
Global Alexa Rating: 63,660
You will find plenty of useful information and assistance on this site. There are numerous sections including sleep health, sleep problems & disorders, sleep tools & tips, find a sleep professional and sleep shop. You can also sign up to receive NSF related news, sleep tips and more. There is also information regarding sleep that doesn’t have anything to do with disorders, such as dealing with children and bedtime fears. There is quite a bit of useful information for understanding sleep and how to improve the quality of your night’s rest. Be sure to check out the Myths and Facts About Sleep section for some interesting tidbits.
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Sleep Health is in the HealthyPeople.gov 2020 topics and objectives section. This site provides science-based 10-year national objectives for improving the health of all Americans. Sleep Health was added for the 2020 period that began December 2, 2010. Their goal is to increase public knowledge of how adequate sleep and treatment of sleep disorders improves health, productivity, quality of life and safety on our roads and in the workplace. The data given on the site shows just how important their work is.
7. Sleepnet.com: http://www.sleepnet.com/
Global Alexa Rating: 997,363
The Sleepnet site is an educational site devoted to improving sleep health worldwide. It includes sleep disorders information, public sleep forums, sleep links, tips for better sleep and sleep clinician links. Since 1995 they have worked to provide you everything you wanted to know about sleep but were too tired to ask – as they put it on their site. They offer an ‘ask a sleep specialist’ opportunity if you cannot find the answer you seek on either the site or the forums. You can ask your question to either a sleep surgeon or a sleep technologist. Be sure to check out the sleep test on the site which is a guide to help indicate if you have a sleep disorder, however if you even suspect you might, you should consult a physician.
8. Sleep Health Foundation: http://www.sleephealthfoundation.org.au/
Global Alexa Rating: 1,419,982
The Sleep Health Foundation’s mission is to improve people’s lives through better sleep. They do this through raising awareness about sleep problems and educating the community about sleep health. There are sleep health facts in the information library that include fact sheets, sleep topics, weekly tips and plenty of other relevant articles. The site also includes a sleep quiz that can be found under the Sleep Awareness Week tab.
9. Sleep Disorders Guide: http://www.sleepdisordersguide.com/
Global Alexa Rating: 1,972,655
This site is an extremely comprehensive site about sleep and sleep disorders that includes information on sleep basics, sleep apnea, insomnia, snoring, restless leg syndrome, narcolepsy, bed wetting, sleep paralysis, jet lag, hypersomnia, parasomnia, night/sleep terrors, night sweats, sleep walking/talking and more. You can also use the site to locate a sleep center that can help with your sleeping issues.
10. Sleep for Kids: http://www.sleepforkids.org/
Global Alexa Rating: 3,007,277
Every parent has heard the unmistakable whine of a child after being told it is bedtime, and in some families it is an all-out war to get them to go to bed and to sleep. If you have difficulty with your child, this is the website to show them. It is geared for kids and teaches them why sleep is so important, doing it in a fun way. There are fun activities on the site for helping children learn about how to get better sleep. There is also a parent and teacher section for the adults.
Hopefully you found the answers you seek about sleeping and sleep disorders, along with what advances are being made in this field. None of these sites is a substitute for getting medical attention and by reading the potential health consequences involved with inadequate sleep you now know that it is important to address any sleep problems you may have.
