Improving Your Sleep: Guide to a good night's rest
This course explains why a good night’s sleep is important to your health and well-being and shows you how to achieve it. You’ll learn about the problems that can keep you awake at night or have you nodding off in the middle of the day. You'll find out how to take advantage of advances to quiet snoring and breakthroughs to ease sleep apnea. You’ll also discover ways to eliminate costly sleep debt, create a more inviting sleep environment, and increase restorative deep sleep. NOTE: This course has been updated. If you purchased the original edition, you can still access and use that version of the course. In order to access the update, you can purchase the new version at www.harvardhealthonlinelearning.com/catalog.
Improving Your Sleep will show you how to overcome the obstacles interfering with the good night’s rest you want and your body needs. You’ll find why sleep often eludes us as adults. You’ll explore habits and conditions that can rob you of peaceful slumber. And most important, you’ll learn the changes you can make and steps you can take to restore consistently restful and restorative sleep. Is snoring causing strife? Could sleep apnea be threatening a loved one’s life—or yours? The course provides instructive guidance to address these sleep breathing disorders as well as other common sleep disturbances including Restless Leg Syndrome, sleep/wake cycle disorders, narcolepsy, jet lag, and even sleepwalking.
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01.GETTING STARTED
- About This Course
- Sleep Needs and Statistics
- Quiz
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02.SLEEP MECHANICS AND SLEEP DEPRIVATION
- Introduction: Dr. Mallika Marshall
- Sleep Stages Explained
- Sleep Deprivation
- Quiz
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03.CAUSES OF SLEEP DEPRIVATION
- Medical Conditions That Affect Sleep
- Medications That Affect Sleep
- Sleep Disorders
- Quiz
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04.HOW TO GET SOUND SLEEP
- Sleeping Well: Steps to Take
- Sleep Hygiene
- Lifestyle Modification Strategies
- Sleep Timing Issues
- Prescription Meds for Sleep
- OTC Sleep Aids
- Quiz
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05.SUMMARY: SWEET DREAMS!
- Parting Advice

Lawrence Epstein, MD
Lawrence Epstein, M.D., .is an Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School and is the Assistant Medical Director of the Sleep Disorders Service and Program Director for the sleep medicine fellowship program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
Dr. Epstein is board certified in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Diseases, Critical Care Medicine, and Sleep Medicine. He is a Past President of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and currently serves as the organization's Director of Clinical Affairs.

Mallika Marshall, MD
Mallika Marshall, MD, is an Emmy-award winning journalist and physician who serves as the regular Health Reporter at WBZ-TV in Boston. A practicing physician who is Board Certified in both internal medicine and pediatrics, Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at the Massachusetts General Hospital's (MGH) Chelsea Urgent Care Clinic and MGH Revere Health Center. Marshall is currently a Contributing Editor for Harvard Health Publications, the publishing division of Harvard Medical School. Dr Marshall also has served as the host of “Dr. Mallika Marshall,” a series of health news reports that was nationally syndicated and aired in more than 70 markets, including major cities such as San Francisco, Atlanta, St. Louis, Cleveland, and Houston. A cum laude graduate of Harvard College, Marshall received her medical degree with honors at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine. She completed her medical residency at Harvard in internal medicine and pediatrics.