Can't find a doctor to help you shake your sleepwalking habit? It might be because the United States lacks the capacity to treat people with sleep disorders, according to a study released today by the Institute of Medicine. According to the study, 50 to 70 million Americans struggle with chronic sleep disorders—including chronic insomnia, sleep apnea and restless legs syndrome—costing the nation hundreds of billions of dollars each year in medical expenses, accidents and lost productivity.
Longer workdays and more time in front of the computer or television are partly to blame for sleep loss, increasing the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and heart attacks. Most people don't even know they suffer from a sleep disorder, the study said.
The cost of medical care for sleep disorders in the 1990s was estimated at $15.9 billion. Fatigue in the workplace costs businesses about $150 billion a year in lost productivity. And motor vehicle accidents involving tired drivers amount to more than $48 billion a year.
To avoid this hefty price tag, the study's authors recommend that the U.S. develop a larger, more interdisciplinary work force specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders, and urges the National Institutes of Health to invest in the field of somnology and sleep medicine. According to the study, current medical students generally receive only four hours of instruction in sleep medicine, and the majority never perform a clinical evaluation of a patient with a sleep disorder during their training.
Once this is corrected, perhaps we'll all sleep a little more soundly. —Andrew Nusca