Several studies have linked Zolpidem, the active ingredient in the world’s most popular prescription sleep aid Ambien, to driving impairment and erratic behavior.
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As always, here are our favorite sleep related links of the week:

Pick the Brain covers five unusual ways to get great quality sleep.
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Newswise has a great article up today about the seven bad habits of highly ineffective people, and of course, one of them has to do with sleeping problems and otherwise not getting enough sleep.
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A recent has shown that your sense of smell - more accurately, what scent is in the air as you fall asleep - may affect the quality of your sleep and therefore your dreams.  A sweet smelling room tends to lead to better sleep; on the other hand, a stinky room leads to interrupted and poor quality. 
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As always, here our favorite sleep related articles and blog posts this week:

CNN Health tells readers when to take a sleeping pill - the answer is very, very rarely.
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One of the quickest ways to reduce your stress level is to improve the quality of your sleep.  However, the method you use to combat your sleeping problems is just as important as getting more sleep itself.  While sleep medications or over-the-counter sleep aids may seem like the fastest fix, they are unlikely to become a long term solution.
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Unfortunately, many children start suffering from sleep problems before they reach their teens, and due to the fact that they are still developing and growing, using prescription or over the counter sleep aids is definitely not recommended.  However, they are still suffering from sleep problems that need to be solved somehow, so natural alternatives to sleep medications are necessary.
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As always, here are our favorite sleep related links of the week:

But You Don’t Look Sick reviews Dr. William Dement’s (a legend in the world of sleep research) amazing book on the subject of quality sleep, The Promise of Sleep.
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The many health risks and potential problems linked to prescription sleep medications and over-the-counter sleep aids have made natural alternatives an increasingly popular option.
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A good night’s sleep is the foundation you build your days upon, whether it is just another day at the office, a busy weekend, or a fun vacation that you want to make the most of; however, sleep problems make it impossible for your days to be up to their full potential.  After all, when you are sleep deprived you do not perform as well - you are not as focused, alert, or even as creative as you would have been if you had gotten proper rest the night before.  Now consider this: you are visiting Las Vegas and hitting the tables all night long, and drinking and going to shows and all that - imagine how this negatively impacts your gambling performance after only one night.
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