FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – March 12-18, 2023 marks National Sleep Awareness Week and a new study by the American Sleep Association revealed that as many as 50 to 70 million Americans are suffering from a sleep disorder.
Dr. Glenn Singer, a pulmonologist and sleep specialist with Broward Health, said sleep quality gets minimal focus in the health profession.
He works to better train medical students and new internists how to identify and treat sleep problems.
“What I try to emphasize as part of a good annual physical ask your patients how is your sleep do you snore do you have interrupted sleep just a couple questions that can lead to a more detailed evaluation and help patients. after all, what is sleep? it’s 25 to 35 percent of our lives we spend asleep and doctors aren’t taking enough time to investigate that,” he said.
Singer said patients also need to be more forthcoming about their sleep habits because poor sleep can affect both physical and mental health.
Sleep quality is also a concern for children according to a study published this week in JAMA Open Network.
An analysis of a randomized trial involving 100 healthy children ages eight to 12 indicated that even 39 minutes less of sleep per night for one week significantly reduced several facets of health-related quality of life in children.
Researchers said this finding showed that ensuring children receive sufficient good-quality sleep is an important child health issue.
And millions of older Americans will soon be able to save on drug costs.
Administration officials said 27 different medications will now be added to Medicare Part B because the prices of those drugs increased faster than the rate of inflation.
Drug companies will begin paying Medicare for the rebates next month.
The change could help Medicare recipients save up to $390.