According to this recent New York Times article on choosing the right sleep medication, thirty percent of Americans report experiencing sleeping problems (and forty percent of those individuals suffer from coexisting psychiatric disorders), ten percent show signs of daytime impairment associated with a lack of sleep, and twenty percent of serious car accidents are believed to result from driver drowsiness.
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Speed Sleep is starting a new blogging tradition - every Friday, we will post our favorite sleep-related links from around the web.  Have a suggestion for next week’s list?  Leave it in the comments!

The Children’s Health Channel at the Ivanhoe.com reports that children and teens who sleep less are more likely to be overweight.
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Yahoo’s LiveScience recently posted an excellent article that debunks many of the common myths about sleep and sleep problems along with listing tips for good sleep hygiene, which includes things like developing a consistent sleep pattern, refraining from optional medication and other things that can prevent a good night’s sleep.
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As you are likely aware, sleeping pills (both prescription sleep aids and over-the-counter drugs) pose many risks, including the threat of long term dependency and other health issues that arise from the lack of proper sleep. In fact, the most recent edition of Consumer Reports magazine comes down pretty strongly on the side of non-medicated sleep.
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According to the upcoming September issue of Consumer Reports magazine, too many people are dependent on both prescription sleep medications and over the counter sleep aids. The magazine staff performed a nation wide survey and discovered that forty-four percent of Americans are problem sleepers. Sleep problems are defined as difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or consistently waking up too early. Furthermore, one in five Americans use prescription or over-the-counter drugs - and twenty-four percent became dependent on those sleep aids.
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You might think that the time you spend asleep is strictly a time of rest and relaxation - and although that is not entirely untrue, your mind is actually very busy while you are sleeping.  In fact, during sleep your brain is deeply engaged in processes that help keep it healthy (yet another reason why sleep problems typically lead to many other health concerns). 
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Sleep Apnea is a sleeping problem that occurs when an individual’s breathing is disrupted while they are sleeping; it is most common in men, people who are overweight, and people over forty. Left untreated, it puts the sufferer at risk for hypertension, stroke, and heart failure. Even more worrisome, a recent study has just shown that people with severe sleep apnea are three times more likely to die prematurely.
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