The Social Epidemiology Of Sleep

Sleep, along with the sleep-related behaviours that impact sleep quality, have emerged as one of the major determinants of health and well-being (alongside good diet, regular exercise, and not smoking). In turn research is beginning to identify that sleep is strongly socially patterned--by socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, immigrant status, stage of the life course, work experiences, stress, and neighbourhood contexts. Yet no textbook currently exists that brings together the accumulated evidence on the social epidemiology of sleep. This text is targeted toward (a) social epidemiologists who wish to study sleep as a health outcome, (b) sleep epidemiologists who want to learn about the social determinants of sleep, and (c) other scholars working in the intersection between sleep health, social epidemiology, and health disparities.

"Eleven fully updated chapters include entries on the links between health and discrimination, income inequality, social networks and emotion, while four all-new chapters examine the role of policies in shaping health, including how to translate evidence into action with multi-level interventions."

Sleep disturbances and sleep deprivation are increasingly common in modern society. Epidemiological methods of investigation have shown that sleep deprivation is associated with a variety of chronic conditions and health outcomes. Sleep medicine is a rapidly growing field of clinical research, affecting people across their lifespan. Relevant to a wide range of specialities including respiratory medicine, neurology, cardiology, and psychiatry, sleep also has a significant impact on the study of epidemiology, public health, and preventive medicine. Sleep, Health, and Society presents epidemiological evidence linking sleep deprivation and disruption to several chronic conditions, and explores the public health implications with the view to developing preventive strategies. The new edition of Sleep, Health, and Society provides up-to-date information on recently discovered areas of sleep medicine. Fully updated to reflect new research and data, as well as additional new chapters exploring eating patterns, nutrition, pregnancy, cancer, pain, and CBT in relation to sleep. Written by leading experts in the field of sleep medicine, Sleep, Health, and Society is ideal for students and professionals in epidemiology and public health. The research presented would also be valuable to respiratory physicians, neurologists, cardiologists, and psychiatrists who are interested in the impact of sleep disturbances and disorders.

What is the prevalence of insomnia in a particular age group, in men and women, or in Caucasians and African Americans? What is the average total sleep time among normal sleepers among these groups? How does the sleep of Caucasians and African Americans differ? These are just some of the questions addressed in The Epidemiology of Sleep. This new book presents the most detailed and comprehensive archive of normal and abnormal sleep patterns. Based on a landmark study supported by the National Institute on Aging, 772 subjects from a host of populations including men, women, and various age and ethnic groups, prepared detailed sleep diaries for a two-week period. The use of these sleep diaries yielded a plethora of data on such characteristics as normal sleep patterns, various forms of insomnia, fatigue, depression, anxiety, and daytime sleepiness differentiated by age, sex, and ethnicity. The results generated by these data, charted in the book's numerous tables and graphs, provide a critical methodological advance in the sleep literature. The Epidemiology of Sleep opens with an overview of the rationale and unique characteristics of the study. This is followed by a comprehensive review of the existing epidemiological literature on sleep. Chapter three presents a detailed description of the methods used in the survey followed by meticulous information on the epidemiology of normal and insomnia sleep, that is unparalleled in the literature. Chapter six provides an archive of sleep patterns among African Americans. The book concludes with a discussion and interpretation of the most interesting findings. This insightful study, coupled with the comprehensive review of the existing literature on the epidemiology of sleep, make this volume an invaluable resource for sleep researchers, clinicians, health and clinical psychologists, gerontologists, epidemiologists, and advanced students.

Clinical practice related to sleep problems and sleep disorders has been expanding rapidly in the last few years, but scientific research is not keeping pace. Sleep apnea, insomnia, and restless legs syndrome are three examples of very common disorders for which we have little biological information. This new book cuts across a variety of medical disciplines such as neurology, pulmonology, pediatrics, internal medicine, psychiatry, psychology, otolaryngology, and nursing, as well as other medical practices with an interest in the management of sleep pathology. This area of research is not limited to very young and old patientsâ€"sleep disorders reach across all ages and ethnicities. Sleep Disorders and Sleep Deprivation presents a structured analysis that explores the following: Improving awareness among the general public and health care professionals. Increasing investment in interdisciplinary somnology and sleep medicine research training and mentoring activities. Validating and developing new and existing technologies for diagnosis and treatment. This book will be of interest to those looking to learn more about the enormous public health burden of sleep disorders and sleep deprivation and the strikingly limited capacity of the health care enterprise to identify and treat the majority of individuals suffering from sleep problems.

Primary Care Sleep Medicine – A Practical Guide was among the first books to address sleep medicine for a primary care audience. It remains the primary text oriented to the primary care physician with an interest in sleep disorders medicine. Since this title published, there have been many changes in the sleep field. A new text oriented towards supporting the primary care physician in the practice of sleep medicine is needed; an updated second edition of Primary Care Sleep Medicine – A Practical Guide could fill this knowledge gap. This second edition will include updated information on insomnia medications, post-traumatic stress disorders, home sleep testing protocols, complex sleep apnea and the defined role for primary care physicians in sleep medicine.

A great deal of progress has been made in the characterization assessment and treatment of sleep disorders in recent years. Detailing the functions of sleep and its effect on cognition and development, this book offers a comprehensive, practical approach to the evaluation and treatment of patients with sleep disorders.

This volume provides a preventive medicine approach to sleep medicine, looking at the epidemiological evidence that sleep deprivation and disturbance is linked to ill health, and exploring the public health implications with a view to developing preventive strategies.