The Real Problem with America’s Sleep Problem

“The saddest day of my life was when I left preschool and naps were no longer allowed.” That’s what my son said when I told him what I’d learned in researching this article about sleep. At 17, he struggles to fall asleep most nights and despises rising at 7 a.m. for school. I struggle to stay up past 10 p.m. on any given night, and sleeping the whole night through, or past dawn, are things I only dream of. What I learned is this: We may both be normal, and the state of advice on sleep is totally whacked.

Watch any TV ad for sleeping pills and you’ll think we’re a nation of sleep-deprived zombies, hopelessly careening through insomniac days in need of serious medication. The reality is far more complicated and full of contradicting studies and advice, and the solutions for many people are often simple and cheap yet ignored.

Here’s the real problem with America’s Sleep Problem:

Seemingly solid information and advice — doled out by government agencies, supposed sleep experts, journalists, medical institutions and, of course, the pharmaceutical industry — are often based on nonexistent references or studies that in many cases are small and inconclusive, outdated or funded by the sleep-aid industry.

Sleep is good. It’s vital. It can fuel good health, even happiness. Lack of it can leave you…