For many of us, achieving restful, restorative sleep is often just a dream. Helene Emsellem, a neurologist, sleep specialist, and director for the Center for Sleep and Wake Disorders in Chevy Chase, Maryland, knows the toll that poor sleep habits can take on our bodies, brains, health, and productivity.
In an informative discussion, Emsellem explains why we sleep; how much we really need; the brain’s critical role in sleep; and insufficient sleep’s relationship to heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, stroke, weight, and memory. She talks about some common sleep disorders and how adjustments to nighttime habits can pay off in better sleep and daytime functionality.
