Sleep Scientists from nations around the world met this week to highlight Sleep Awareness week, and to summarize the year's advances in sleep medicine.

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This week is National Sleep Awareness Week

World Scientists Conclude: Urgent need to apply new knowledge in Human Sleep Needs

Dr. James Murtagh is Director of the Eastgate Sleepcare center in Cincinnati Ohio

"To achieve the impossible dream, try going to sleep." Joan Klempner

San Diego, California- Sleep Scientists from nations around the world met this week to highlight  Sleep Awareness week, and to summarize the year's advances in sleep medicine. Famously, Anthony Burgess wrote that "Laugh and the world laughs with you , snore and you sleep alone." Today, Burgess could only call the nightmare of sleepy drivers a "real horrorshow," and remind us that " every dogma has its day."  Eye-popping studies released by the  Centers for Disease Control (CDC) this week reveal that 80 million Americans are sleep deprived, and more than one in twenty drivers admit to falling asleep at the wheel. Further, sleep disorders contribute to  diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Persons who sleep less than seven hours a night live shorter and less productive lives. Half of Americans are so sleepy their work, their relationships and happiness are impaired.  Lack of sleep causes depression, weight gain and death. "If there were a fifth horseman of the apocalypse, surely he would be sleep deprivation" concluded Dr. Murtagh. "He would be the palest of the pale riders."

The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) designated March 7-13, 2011 as the fourteenth annual national sleep awareness week. As we prepare to wind our clocks forward for daylight savings on March 13, it is time for patients, doctors and lawmakers to take stock. Neither patients nor doctors can now ignore the sleeping elephant.

  Is it an exaggeration to say our society faces a crisis in sleep disorders? The father of modern sleep medicine, Dr. William Dement writes:  "Sleep disorders ..have not been adequately addressed by the medical profession; .. the absence of awareness of these problems relating to sleep is so pervasive and the consequences are potentially so dire as to constitute a national emergency". Richard L. Gelula, NSF's chief executive officer states that " sleepiness that permeates our society has serious consequences, and Americans' poor sleep is creating a public health and safety crisis in need of immediate attention,"

Dement links many of national major disasters, including the Exxon Valdez and Challenger can be traced to sleep disorders.  Maybe "Mothers against drunk driving" need to change their focus to "Mothers against drunk and sleepy driving." If any disease shows that no man is an island, sleep disorders surely do. The average sleep-apnea-induced truck disaster kills 4.2 persons. Friends cannot allow friends to drive sleepy.

             Among the key findings of the CDC research reviewed at the SOTA:

4.7% of respondents say they had fallen asleep while driving at least once in the past 30 days.

7.3% of people who got less than s even hours of sleep report nodding off at the wheel, compared to 3% who got more.

37.9% of those questioned said they had fallen asleep unintentionally during the day at least one time in the past month.

Drowsy driving causes an estimated 1,550 deaths a year and 40,000 injuries.

More than 40 Million Americans suffer with sleep disorders, and more than 80 million are sleep deprived

More than 95% of sleep patients are not treated

Almost all sleep disorders can be treated, with immensely improved quality of life, productivity and life expectancy

Millions are too sleepy even to have satisfying sex.

Proper treatment of sleep disorders can result in improved happiness, improved sex life, and loss of weight, and overall improved efficiency and energy.

Minorities, the poor, the chronically ill, the unemployed and the elderly are at special risk.

  Direct medical costs of sleep disorders account for more than 30 Billion dollars.

Lost productivity of sleep deprivation costs $50 to 100 billion

Sleep Apnea is a major cause of many common conditions, such as hypertension, stroke and sudden death.

Drowsiness is a major threat to military readiness. DoD has made sleep research a top priority, and has allocated more than $100 million this year to study military aspects of sleep. Research suggests enhanced vigilance will lead to a superior warrior.

                  Anthony Burgess also wrote, "I didn't think; I experimented." Sleep research is still in its infancy, and vast new research into this undiscovered country needs to be undertaken. Discovery is the answer to the questions that burden the millions of sleepless Americans. Internationally, the surface of the sleep disorder question is just being scratched.

Overweight men are most likely to have sleep apnea, but no one is immune. Genetic factors are being teased out. Any person with a neck larger than 17, such as pro football linebackers or summa wrestler, or any average worker, may be at risk.  Sleep disorders are a special difficulty for soldiers. Readjustment on return from duty can also cause sleep difficulties. More facts are being uncovered every day.

                  Some good news? Treatment of sleep disorders actually saves money. The overall health costs of a patient suffering from sleep disorders can be cut in half by effective treatment of the sleep disorders. The SOTA scientist emphasised that in an era of health reform and scarce resources, preventive medicine must take priority. Major studies show the savings in heart medications, blood pressure medications, anti-depressants etc more than pays for the cost of treating sleep. The nation can not afford to avoid treating sleep problems. Again from Burgess, "We can destroy what we have written, but we cannot unwrite it."

                Tantalizing new advances in the genetics, immunology and neurobiology were reviewed by the SOTA conference. Members will take this knowledge back to their nations and throughout the US.

                   Notably, Burgess is just one of hundreds of historical authors to write about sleep. For fun, a list of the top 100 movies concentrating on sleep was compiled: http://www.sleepfoundation.org/top-100-sleep-movies

What can you do? There are seven simple questions your can assess your risk of sleep disorder. Take the simple test at http://www.stanford.edu/~dement/epworth.html . What could be a better use of a few minutes of your time? These few questions can tell you if you need attention from a sleep specialist.

"We are such stuff/ As dreams are made on, and our little life/ Is rounded with a sleep." Shakespeare wrote. How true! As you wind your clock forward, take care to avoid the Clockwork Orange horrorshow of sleep deprivation. Take the the simple screening test. The life you save may be your own, or it may be a loved one.

Authors Bio:
James J. Murtagh, Jr. is a doctor of pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine, and the Medical Director of several sleep laboratories in Southern Ohio. Dr. Murtagh extensively writes on medical ethics. Dr. Murtagh is the founder of a new company launched August 3, 2011 to promote innovative methods to treat sleep disorders. Dr. Murtagh maintains a consulting service with Georgians for Justice to advocate for dignity and respect for all healthcare workers and patients, and to protect electronic privacy.