Get Some Sleep! (Just Not While You're Reading This Post)

Everyone knows that it’s important to get a good night’s sleep. But with busy lives, a good night’s sleep is sometimes hard to come by. According to research done by the Centers for Disease Control, more than one-fourth of Americans report occasionally not getting enough sleep, and almost 10 percent have chronic insomnia. And according to a 2012 article from the National Library of Medicine, lack of sleep is linked to everything from weight gain and the occurrence of diabetes to an increase in drowsy driving-related car accidents. The Centers for Disease Control says it best: “Sufficient sleep is not a luxury — it is a necessity — and should be thought of as a ‘vital sign’ of good health.”

So how do you know if you’re getting enough sleep, or if you might have some sort of sleep disorder? This article from the National Library of Medicine has a great description of some common sleep disorders, as well as a list of symptoms that may indicate sleeping problems or a sleep disorder. And there’s a lot of quick information available online to help you sleep better, including:

• These tips on getting a good night’s sleep from the National Library of Medicine
• This list of foods that help you sleep from the Mayo Clinic 
• This guide to napping, also from the Mayo Clinic 
• This page on alternative therapies for ensuring a good night's sleep from the National Center of Complementary and Alternative Medicine
• And, if you speak to your physician and feel that you need to see a sleep specialist, the National Sleep Foundation has a handy search that you can use.

Finally, St. Louis Public Library has several books that can help you overcome sleep problems and feel well-rested (and, no, we’re not talking about boring books!), including:

• Sound Asleep: The Expert Guide to Sleeping Well by Christopher Idzikowski
• Sleep for Success: Everything You Must Know About Sleep But Are Too Tired to Ask by James B. Maas
• Tired but Wired: The Essential Sleep Toolkit: How to Overcome Sleep Problems by Nerina Ramlakhan
• The Cleveland Clinic Guide to Sleep Disorders by Nancy Foldvary-Schaefer
• 365 Ways to Get a Good Night’s Sleep by Ronald Kotler
• A Good Night’s Sleep: Simple, Effective Ways to Overcome Insomnia by Barbara Wexler

Check out our online catalog at www.slpl.org to find these and more titles to help you snooze. Sweet dreams!