WHEREAS, Approximately 40 million Americans suffer from 80 identified sleep disorders, another 20 to 30 million Americans suffer intermittent sleep problems related to pain, stress, anxiety, depression, and ailments each year, and the overwhelming majority of sleep disorder sufferers remain undiagnosed and untreated; and

WHEREAS, Sleep-related disorders affect members of all races, socio-economic classes, and ages. Over 12 million Americans suffer from sleep apnea, a treatable condition that occurs mostly in middle-aged adults and may affect African-Americans more than whites. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) claims the lives of over 3,000 infants each year and is the major cause of death in babies between one month and one year of age. Restless Legs Syndrome, a neurological disorder, affects about 5 percent of the population over age 65 years; and

WHEREAS, Americans are chronically sleep-deprived. Over 63 million American adults suffer from moderate to severe levels of sleepiness. One in every two adults has trouble sleeping at one time or another—12 percent of all Americans suffer from frequent insomnia. Sleepiness affects vigilance, reaction times, alertness, mood, hand-eye coordination, and the accuracy of short-term memory; and

WHEREAS, Numerous studies have concluded that the general public, policymakers, and primary care physicians lack basic sleep knowledge, compromising the health and safety of all Americans. Half of the nation’s business travelers suffer from insomnia and do not know how to combat the jet lag that affects their daytime performance. Medical students receive virtually no instruction in basic sleep science during their training; and

WHEREAS, Sleepiness, as a result of untreated disorders or sleep deprivation, has been identified as the cause of a growing number of on-the-job accidents. Over 25 million Americans have nontraditional work schedules that conflict with their biological clocks. An estimated 36 million Americans believe that sleeplessness negatively affects their performance at work. Fatigue was officially cited as a contributing factor in the Three Mile Island nuclear incident, the grounding of the Exxon Valdez in Prince William Sound, and the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster, among other industrial disasters; and

WHEREAS, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration conservatively estimates that 100,000 motor vehicle crashes are caused by drowsy drivers each year. These crashes result in over 1,500 fatalities and 71,000 injuries. One-third of all Americans admit they have dozed off while driving. The National Transportation Safety Board estimates that 31 percent of all commercial driver fatalities and 58 percent of single-truck crashes are fatigue-related; and

WHEREAS, The economic impact of untreated sleep disorders and chronic sleepiness on society is devastating. Sleep deprivation is estimated to cost Americans over $100 billion annually in lost productivity, medical expenses, sick leave, and property and environmental damage; now, therefore, be it