According to a 1997 National Sleep Foundation and Gallup survey, two-thirds of American adults report a sleep-related problem and more than one third of American adults (63 million) are sleepy enough to have related health problems. The California Department of Health has found that people who get six hours of sleep or less each night have a 70% higher mortality rate.

What is HEALTHY SLEEP?
Most people require 7 to 8 hours of QUALITY sleep each night to work and play at peak performance every day. But the length of time slept is not the only factor. Did you know that the average person turns 40 to 60 times each night? Fragmented sleep (periods of wakefulness during the night) prevents us from reaching and maintaining the stages of sleep that restore our bodies. HEALTHY SLEEP is the quantity and quality of sleep required to maintain optimal alertness during desired waking hours. If you've had HEALTHY SLEEP, during the moments immediately after awakening in the morning, you should feel your absolute best. If your morning moments are your worst, you're sleep-deprived. If you feel sleepy at any time during the day, you're sleep-deprived.

Do You Need More Or Better Sleep?
Give yourself a check-up. Indicate "true" or "false" for the following statements:

1. I need an alarm clock in order to wake up at the appropriate time.
2. It's a struggle for me to get out of bed in the morning.
3. Weekday mornings I hit the snooze button several times to get more sleep.
4. I feel tired, irritable and stressed-out during the week.
5. I have trouble concentrating and remembering.
6. I feel slow with critical thinking, problem-solving and being creative.
7. I often fall asleep watching TV.
8. I often fall asleep in boring meetings or lectures or in warm rooms.
9. I often fall asleep after heavy meals or after a low dose of alcohol.
10. I often fall asleep while relaxing after dinner.
11. I often fall asleep within five minutes of getting into bed.
12. I often feel drowsy while driving.
13. I often sleep extra hours on weekend mornings.
14. I often need a nap to get through the day.
15. I have dark circles around my eyes.

If you answered "true" to three or more of the 15 items, you are probably not getting enough HEALTHY SLEEP.

THE MYTH OF THE FIRM MATTRESS
When lying on your back, support is critical in the neck area (cervical lordosis), lower back area (lumbar lordosis), and even behind the knees. If the mattress doesn't fill into these areas, giving proper support, then the spine is forced into an unnatural position. This can cause a pinching of the discs by the vertebrae. In between each vertebra there is a "cushion" material called a disc. These "plastic" discs are made of sponge-like material and revive themselves at night, by absorbing water and nutrients while we are sleeping, to do their job during the day. True orthopedic support while you are sleeping means maintaining proper spinal alignment.

This may be why most back problems occur within the 30-minute time period after getting out of bed in the morning. When we get out of bed in the morning, our backs are out of alignment and we must move around, flex, and stretch before we can even bend down to put on our socks or shoes. Do you feel stiff or a little sore when you get up in the morning? Does your shoulder hurt? Do you need to move slowly around the room to get the kinks out? All this may mean that you are sleeping on a too firm, "boardy," non-supportive sleep system.

Your mattress should conform to you, NOT you conform to it. On a hard, "boardy" mattress that does not conform to the body, the hips and shoulders are pushed up, forcing the body out of alignment. However, the mattress should conform to you, allowing the body to sink into it -- slightly caressing and cuddling it -- to support and fill into the small parts of the body or the bridges (arches). Comfort also comes from conformity and allows for a more restful night's sleep. Conformity allows for better weight distribution, which means less pressure on any particular part of the body.