I was amazed to learn that 25% of adults will take a sleeping pill in the next 12 months. That's a lot of people who are having trouble sleeping. What is wrong in our society that none of us can sleep? Is it lifestyle (late night TV, no exercise) or environment (too much light in the evenings) or is it psychological (stress and anxiety)?

No one know the answer to these questions, but let's see what readers think - put your idea about why 25% of Americans need to take sleeping pills each year in the comments section below.

Must Read: When to take a sleeping pill - CNN.com

Workplaces and businesses are finally beginnig to see the advantages of having a well-rested workforce. Some companies are even going so far as to create rooms with "nap pods" in them for employee to take brief rests. The results have been increases in creativity, energy and productivity.

The New York Times ran an article on "nap pods" that has a great picture and information about how these pods are being used. The typical nap pod costs a good bit of money, but if a company thinks about all the money it has invested in employees, given them a place to recharge starts to make sense.

You don't need a nap pod to take a nap. Try these napping tips for a quick refresher and see if your workday isn't more energized and creative.

Why should you care that sleep loss (even one night) can increase inflammation in your body? Because inflammation is what is behind heart disease and arthritis. Basically, inflammation can damage tissues in your body. In fact, inflammation is thought to be one of the reasons we age. Omega-3 fatty acids and fish oils are marketed widely because of their ability to reduce inflammation in the body.

What is interesting is that in the small study that was done, researchers only saw the increase in inflammation in the female subjects. No one knows why men seemed immune to the inflammation-sleep loss connection, but it could be a statistical quirk.

Bottom line, even missing one night of sleep may increase your body's inflammatory response. Keep things calm inside by getting enough sleep.

Must Read: Inflammation and Aging

Finally, someone has looked into the reliability of sleep lab tests. I always wondering about these tests - you go and try to sleep in a lab with a bunch of wires hooked up to you, then you don't sleep well and you have a sleeping disorder.

What researchers did was they looked at the amount of variability in sleep quality each night. They found (no surprise) that there was a lot of variability. Some nights, people slept better than others. They conclude that just one night of study in a sleep lab isn't best for making diagnoses about sleep disorders. They recommend multiple nights of study to learn if people have sleep disorders and if treatments are working.

What I am amazed at, is that the researchers don't mention some of the other methods available including watches that can estimate sleep based on your movements (which you wear at home) and other new developments. It seems if sleep researchers really want to know how people are sleeping, they will need to monitor them in their own homes, not in a sleep lab.

Must Read: Actigraphy for Sleep Testing