Did you know that 90% of Americans will suffer from insomnia at some point in their lives? In fact, 10% of Americans will suffer from chronic insomnia, oftentimes severe enough to impair one's ability to work. In the trucking industry, for example, sleep deprivation accounts for a higher percentage of fatal accidents than does alcohol and drug use.
SLEEP MEDICINE IS BORN
Considering the widespread problem of sleep disorders and its profound consequences, it comes as little surprise that sleep medicine has evolved into a medical specialty. By the mid-70's sleep clinics and laboratories had sprouted up across the United States and a number of doctors began referring to themselves as "sleep doctors." Unfortunately, because of a lack of standards many doctors set up sleep clinics without obtaining any demonstrable expertise in sleep disorders.
Over the last 40 years concerned clinicians have organized a subspecialty for sleep medicine that includes a program of study, examination, and certification so that sufferers of sleep disorders can trust that their "sleep doctors" have the training necessary to address the many possible causes of their disease. Today, The American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, together with the corresponding boards of Internal Medicine, of Pediatrics, and of Otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat) now administer the Sleep Medicine Certification exam for their members.
COMMON SLEEP DISORDERS
The increased attention to healthy sleep in the last 50 years has uncovered a wide array of disorders and their causes. There are over 70 sleep disorders: snoring, sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, circadian rhythm disorders, insomnia, and narcolepsy, to name a few. And the causes of these disorders can come from a combination of sources, including neurological disorders, diet, work schedules, stress and anxiety. To pinpoint the causes of a patient's inability to rest can be a complex process that requires expert care from one's doctor.
RECLAIM YOUR LIFE FROM SLEEP DISORDER
If you or someone you know is suffering from insomnia, the staff at the Natural Choice Directory encourages you to get some help. The demands of our lives require good sleep. And consequences of falling asleep - or of simple fatigue - can be severe. Truckers are not the only ones to suffer through the aftermath of falling asleep while on the job.