Friday, June 3, 2011 at 8:59 AM
The United States is facing a national sleep deficit - and it’s getting worse. What can be done? ideastream will launch Sleep: A Wake-Up Call, a multiple media exploration of sleep, and why many of us don’t get enough of it.
The Center for Disease Control calls insufficient sleep an epidemic that’s affecting our health, safety, mood and efficiency. It has links to high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, diabetes, obesity, anger and more. Most adults need 7 1/2 to 8 hours sleep each night and teens need 9 hours.
But two-thirds of Americans who responded to a survey earlier this year by the National Sleep Foundation said their sleep needs are not being met; 43% say they “rarely or never get a good night’s sleep on weeknights.” Why? Among the causes: the pervasive use of communications technology in the hour before bed, alcohol use and the lack of regularity in sleep schedules.
What can be done? In June, ideastream - in collaboration with The Plain Dealer and NetWellness - will launch Sleep: A Wake-Up Call, a multiple media exploration of sleep, and why many of us don’t get enough of it. This special coverage will examine everything from shift-work to sleep walking, snoring to cat-naps, dreaming to insomnia. We’ll also journey into the brain and body to understand what exactly happens in and to our bodies when we are sleeping.
Health, Be Well, Sleep: A Wake-Up Call
Tuesday Checkup
90.3 WCPN is collaborating with the Plain Dealer to bring listeners the latest health-related news from across our region.
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The need for information about health has never been greater. ideastream is responding to this need by undertaking an ongoing health programming initiative. To inform this effort, ideastream invited health professionals in the region to participate in a series of discussions between June 9-18, 2009, about the local health assets and challenges.
Read the report about these meetings.
Funding for the coverage of health topics comes from the Dr. Donald J. Goodman and Ruth Weber Goodman Philanthropic Fund of The Cleveland Foundation; The Community Foundation of Lorain County; The Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation; The McGregor Foundation; and The Woodruff Foundation.