Sleep Studies – Polysomnography
December 9, 2010
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The years of bragging about how little sleep you’ve been running on are over and people are beginning to recognize the importance of a good night’s sleep, and their wallets are too. The “sleep industry,” as it has been dubbed, is estimated to be worth $20 billion.
While less than half of Americans report getting a good night’s sleep on a regular basis, scientists, pharmaceutical companies, mattress companies and sleep centers are eager to help all those tired people with the most common sleep disorders: Insomnia (chronic sleeplessness), deep daytime fatigue, narcolepsy (deep daytime fatigue) and sleep apnea (stopping breathing repeatedly during sleep).
To help Americans learn about their sleep habits and potential sleep disorders, thousands of sleep study centers have been established across the country where polysomnography takes place. People are monitored throughout a night to monitor their brain activity, breathing patterns and movement during their sleep cycle.
Many sleep behavior studies have established links between sleep disorders or interrupted sleep and stress, obesity and other health issues. These are details that the sleep industry has not overlooked. Looking to follow in the path of the health and nutrition industries, the sleep industry has started marketing sleep as essential to longevity, energy, and even touting the beauty advantages of a good night’s sleep.
The mattress industry has utilized this new information to diversify significantly over the past few years. They are now manufacturing and marketing a wide variety of bedding: including luxury, scientific, therapeutic bedding. Not to mention the exponential growth of sleep medication use. Last year alone, more than 49 million prescriptions for sleeping pills were written in America.
If a career in sleep science interests you, check out Sanford-Brown’s Polysomnography program here: http://www.sanfordbrown.edu/Areas-Of-Study/Allied-Health-Technicians-And-Therapists/Polysomnography