Sleep is many things: natural, passive, periodic, personal … a reflection of our overall state of physical and mental wellness. We all experience sleep, but unfortunately for many it is a nightly struggle. Trying harder to fall asleep often produces the opposite effect. 
We may cope with sleep loss with large quantities of caffeine, a sedentary lifestyle, or social withdrawal. We may cope with nighttime sleeplessness with alcohol, sleeping pills, or watching TV late into the night.
When sleep is chronically poor quality or of short duration, it can wreak havoc on daily life through frequent illness, loss of work, personality changes, relationship difficulties. We are sometimes embarrassed about our poor sleep (think bloodshot eyes and a puffy face in the morning). And research studies increasingly demonstrate the importance of adequate duration and quality of sleep on our physical and emotional health.
Along with diet and exercise, sleep is truly one of the pillars of health, and when one of these pillars deteriorates, it can lead to problems with the other two. The good news is that quality sleep can be achieved by nearly everyone.
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Michael Schwartz, M.A., LPSGT, RST, has been a Registered Sleep Technologist since 1989 and a Licensed Sleep Technologist (OR) since 2012. Michael recently became one of the first Certified Clinical Sleep Educators in the USA. With a Masters degree in Physiological Psychology (Neuroscience), Michael has been involved in recording and analyzing sleep studies, assisting in sleep research, managing sleep centers, and educating patients with various sleep disorders. In 1996, Michael co-founded the School of Clinical Polysomnography, Inc., to train sleep physicians and technologists in the collection and analysis of sleep recordings. In 2007, Michael became a professor of Sleep Technology in the Oregon Institute of Technology’s Sleep Technology Program. Michael has always been interested in helping people sleep better!
MicroSleep, LLC has a variety of educational resources to help guide you to better sleep. And in 2013, we are launching a Kickstarter campaign to create an innovative sleep training device called SleepQ! Be part of this great adventure and learn to fall asleep…on cue!
So have a look around … rate your sleep with the Sleep Survey! After all, you will probably spend roughly 25 years sleeping – it’s worth a few minutes to get your zzz’s!