Includes bibliographical references (pages 289-294) and index.

We spend up to one-third of our lives sleeping-or we should. Instead, we're the "Walking Weary." Millions are sleep-deprived: staying up late, getting up early, waking to tend children, waking with hot flashes, waking to worry. Sleep problems afflict nearly half of employed adults. Two-thirds-or 36 million-have problems getting through the day as a result.; Our 24/7 economy ups the ante. An estimated 25 percent of our labor force does some sort of shift work. They are fighting their bodies' inborn rhythm to work when it's light and sleep when it's dark. The cost of sleep loss to employers is an estimated $18 billion.; Our children and our elderly are sleepy. Late-night Internet surfing, soda drinking, lack of exercise, and weekend sleep bingeing can hamper children's physical and mental growth. Elderly loved ones may suffer sleep disruption by too much napping and not enough activity.; Is poor sleep making you sick? Many of us stop breathing hundreds of times a night, in a condition called sleep apnea, which can contribute to heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and depression. If you have these "daytime problems," you may have an undiagnosed "nighttime problem." Curing a sleep problem can cut a patient's health care costs by 50 percent!; Sleep to Save Your Life comes to the rescue. Noted sleep expert Gerard T. Lombardo, M.D., explains how your genes, environment, job, habits, and physiology may be hampering your sleep-and what you can do at home and in treatment to get the restorative sleep you need to feel better, perform better, look better, live healthier, and live longer. It is filled with self-assessments, strategies, and techniques that Dr. Lombardo has used successfully with thousands of patients. Book jacket.