The Sleep of the Damned

I've posted a lot about the importance of sleep over the years (http://somanyinterestingthings.blogspot.com/2011/12/time-for-bed.html, http://somanyinterestingthings.blogspot.com/2012/02/424a-good-nights-sleep.html, http://somanyinterestingthings.blogspot.com/2012/06/night-moves.html, http://somanyinterestingthings.blogspot.com/2013/02/perchance-to-dream.html ...), maybe mostly because I've seen first-hand the alarming effects of the lack or paucity of it. Admission: At one point in my life, when the rigors of my job disturbed and disrupted my sleep, I actually nodded off at stop lights. I took to sucking on coffee candies ~ one after another ~ and turning up the air conditioning just to stay awake as I drove to and from work. And my memory, both short- and long-term, was definitely affected. I thought that particular issue was age-related but realized with a start during a vacation when I was able to sleep well, that it wasn't, that it was, in fact, due to my pathetic sleep schedule. A recent National Geographic documentary (thank you, Mary!) summarizes the latest findings on this issue, and they are disturbing (story, video): http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/style-blog/wp/2014/12/02/no-youre-not-sleeping-enough-and-its-a-big-problem-15-scary-facts-in-new-natgeo-doc/