| We have been told since childhood that we need | | | | awake without an alarm clock if we get adequate |
| eight hours of sleep for optimum health, safety and | | | | sleep. |
| performance. | | | | I've witnessed more than one driver on the freeway |
| And yet according to a National Sleep Foundation poll, | | | | pulling up alongside me with heavy eyelids and dozing |
| 63% of Americans don't get this recommended eight | | | | off. It's a scary sight and a potentially fatal situation. |
| hours. Pulling all-nighters to cram for exams or | | | | Many people believe that there is widespread sleep |
| prepare reports is just one of the many reasons | | | | deprivation in our nation. As a matter of fact, lack of |
| college students and the rest of us don't get our | | | | sleep has been implicated in train, truck, oil spill and |
| recommended sleep. | | | | space shuttle accidents. These incidents indicate that |
| Since the lack of adequate sleep affects your | | | | lack of sleep can lead to inability to concentrate, think |
| memory and ability to think, it's essential to improve | | | | fast, make wise decisions and drive safely. |
| your sleep if you want to improve your grades, your | | | | It's common to experience nervousness before a |
| stamina, your productivity and your level of | | | | presentation or speaking engagement. But add to this |
| happiness. | | | | lack of adequate sleep and you heighten your stress |
| Do you wake up to an alarm clock every morning? | | | | and diminish the quality of your performance. To |
| If so, according to Dr. Wilse Web, a psychologist at | | | | increase your grades, stamina, productivity and |
| the University of Florida, Gainesville, "you're shortening | | | | happiness, put adequate sleep on your daily to-do list. |
| your natural sleep pattern." Many believe that we can | | | | |