Institute of Medicine advisory: Sleep disorders and sleep deprivation

Sleep deprivation increases people's risk of serious health problems and costs the United States billions of dollars each year in lost productivity, medical costs, and other expenses. Recent news about side effects associated with a new sleep drug and growing concern about sleep loss among children and youth raise questions about the nation's ability to tackle problems associated with sleep.

SLEEP DEPRIVATION AND SLEEP DISORDERS: AN UNMET PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM, a new report from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, assesses the country's capacity to conduct sleep-related research and diagnose and treat people suffering from these disorders, and recommends ways to improve it.

Advance copies of the report will be available to reporters only beginning at 9 a.m. EST on Monday, April 3. THE REPORT IS EMBARGOED AND NOT FOR PUBLIC RELEASE BEFORE 4 P.M. EST ON TUESDAY, APRIL 4. Reporters can obtain a copy by contacting the National Academies' Office of News and Public Information at tel. 202-334-2138 or e-mail news@nas.edu.

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