It's time to wake up to the importance of sleep disorders.

STUDIES indicate that as many as 80 million Americans who have serious, incapacitating sleep problems are being ignored—either because they do not report their symptoms or because physicians do not ask. 1,2 Treatment of sleep complaints, such as insomnia, and sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea, are compromised by this apathy. The National Commission on Sleep Disorders Research, which was charged by a 1988 congressional mandate to evaluate the effect of sleep deprivation on American society, found that 95% of the 5 million to 10 million Americans with sleep apnea do not know they have sleep apnea and consequently face cardiovascular complications and sudden death. 1 Even snoring, a phenomenon often thought of by those affected as benign, is associated with poor prognosis in individuals who are at risk for cardiovascular disease 3 and also can increase risk of stroke. 4 Individuals with chronic insomnia report 2.5 times as many

[1]  Gillin Jc.  Relief from situational insomnia. Pharmacologic and other options. , 1992 .

[2]  M. Kaste,et al.  Snoring, sleep apnea syndrome, and stroke , 1992, Neurology.

[3]  G. Trentin,et al.  Epilepsy, antiepileptic drugs, and malformations in children of women with epilepsy: a French prospective cohort study. , 1992, Neurology.

[4]  C. Pollak,et al.  Sleep Problems and Institutionalization of the Elderly , 1991, Journal of geriatric psychiatry and neurology.

[5]  A. Zaninelli,et al.  Snoring and risk of cardiovascular disease. , 1991, International journal of cardiology.

[6]  J. Walsh,et al.  Avoiding the blanket approach to insomnia. Targeted therapy for specific causes. , 1991, Postgraduate medicine.

[7]  R. Daroff,et al.  The International Classification of Sleep Disorders , 1991, Neurology.

[8]  M. Partinen,et al.  Sudden death and sleeping history among Finnish men , 1991, Journal of internal medicine.

[9]  J. C. Lynch,et al.  The effects of sleep loss on cognitive performance of resident physicians. , 1990, The Journal of family practice.

[10]  M. Carskadon.  Patterns of sleep and sleepiness in adolescents. , 1990, Pediatrician.

[11]  M. Aldrich.  Automobile accidents in patients with sleep disorders. , 1989, Sleep.

[12]  T. Roth,et al.  Sleep extension, enhanced alertness and the sedating effects of ethanol , 1989, Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior.

[13]  D. Ford,et al.  Epidemiologic study of sleep disturbances and psychiatric disorders. An opportunity for prevention? , 1989, JAMA.

[14]  M. Kryger,et al.  Principles and Practice of Sleep Medicine , 1989 .

[15]  J. Lauber,et al.  Sleepiness, circadian dysrhythmia, and fatigue in transportation system accidents. , 1988, Sleep.

[16]  T. Åkerstedt,et al.  Sleepiness as a consequence of shift work. , 1988, Sleep.

[17]  D. Dinges,et al.  Catastrophes, sleep, and public policy: consensus report. , 1988, Sleep.

[18]  T. Roth,et al.  Ethanol and caffeine effects on daytime sleepiness/alertness. , 1987, Sleep.

[19]  Aldrich Ck,et al.  Asleep at the wheel. The physician's role in preventing accidents 'just waiting to happen'. , 1986 .

[20]  T. Åkerstedt,et al.  INCREASED RISK OF ISCHAEMIC HEART DISEASE IN SHIFT WORKERS , 1986, The Lancet.

[21]  E. Uhlenhuth,et al.  Insomnia and its treatment. Prevalence and correlates. , 1985, Archives of general psychiatry.

[22]  J. Gillin,et al.  Diagnosis and management of insomnia. , 1984, The Psychiatric clinics of North America.

[23]  A. Kales,et al.  Evaluation and Treatment of Insomnia , 1984 .

[24]  M. Koller,et al.  Health risks related to shift work , 1983, International archives of occupational and environmental health.

[25]  L. Johnson,et al.  Good and poor sleepers differ in Navy performance. , 1983, Military medicine.

[26]  H. Parry,et al.  Popular attitudes and beliefs about tranquilizers. , 1973, The American journal of psychiatry.

[27]  E. C. Bartels,et al.  Narcolepsy: a possible cause of automobile accidents. , 1965, Lahey Clinic Foundation bulletin.