Maybe it’s me, but lately it seems as if many of my friends and gym members are suffering from sleep deprivation. I’ve been asked, “What do I need to do to get a good night’s sleep?”

Believe me, lack of sleep can really wreck a fitness program. And I’ve been seeing stories

on how an increasing number of traffic accidents are being attributed to a lack of sleep, especially in long-haul truck drivers. It’s true that each person has individual differences in the amount of sleep he or she needs, but everyone needs some.

Often, I think people get into trouble because they don’t allow themselves enough quiet time to sleep. They over-schedule their lives with stressful events, and don’t even get to bed until midnight or later. After a few fitful hours, they have to get up for work before 7:00 a.m.

Check out these results of a recent medical study. They’ll wake you up! A lack of good quality sleep may actually contribute to love handles and those big double chins on men.

I’ll bet you thought the problem was those rich tasty hot fudge sundaes with gooey syrup and walnuts. Well, I can’t argue. But a lack of sleep is probably a big contributor, too.

University of Chicago researchers have recently found that the quality of men’s sleep decreases with age, along with

the body’s production of growth hormone. The drop in growth hormone is thought to lead to an increase in flab. They know that when you increase a man’s deep sleep, that in turn increases the release of growth hormone. Studies have found that by the time a man reaches the advanced age of 45, he’s almost completely lost the ability to fall into a deep sleep. And in elderly men, growth hormone deficiency has been connected to obesity and the loss of muscle mass and overall tone.

This type of research is being used to determine whether growth hormone injections could slow the signs of aging in men during early mid-life (yes, in those of us age 45 and up). Where do I sign up, you ask? For now, the therapy being done like this is mostly for men age 65 and older.

But if you do a search on the Internet, you can easily find “rejuvenation clinics” who will put a middle-aged man through growth hormone and testosterone therapy—all at a whopping price, sometimes $10,000 to $20,000 per year. The use of these drugs for anti-aging purposes isn’t yet approved, or widely accepted, within the medical community. Maybe it will be in the not-so-distant future. In the meantime, it’s unlikely that your family doctor will be happy to oblige your request for GH.

Some of us are our own worst enemies when it comes to sleep. We will stay up all hours of the night watching those horrid B-movies—you know, the ones with the guy dressed up in a rubber monster suit where you can see the zipper. (Where’s Mystery Science Theater 3000 when you need it these days?) But you’ll pay the price the next day for this lack of sleep. We usually say “my tail is dragging,” but the real cause is a lack of energy due to a lack of sleep. Some people party hardy all weekend, and then it finally catches up with them. They look like zombies by Monday morning (bad hair included).

If you are having problems sleeping, it might be a good idea to check with your doctor. He or she can prescribe a short-acting sleeping pill and check into your general health. Sometimes, other health problems can contribute to or even cause difficulty sleeping.

Some of the more common and more serious sleep disorders are these:

Insomnia. You can have problems falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up too early, and these problems can last for short or long periods of time. In chronic cases, a common cause is clinical depression. Caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco can also be factors. If you’ve improved your health by avoiding these habits, it would be a good idea to check with your doctor if you still have trouble sleeping. There can be complex but serious causes that aren’t easy to spot.

One treatment is relaxation therapy with sleep restriction. You have to allow yourself to sleep only a few hours a night, until you get naturally tired enough and increase the amount you sleep. You also have to eliminate as much anxiety and tension as possible, using specific psychological techniques that you can learn in therapy.

Narcolepsy. This is an irresistible need to sleep, usually at inappropriate times. People with this disorder can fall asleep while talking or driving, almost as if they were having a seizure. Strong emotions can bring on an attack. There also seems to be a genetic factor involved. Unfortunately, there is no cure, but drug and behavioral therapy can help.

Nightmares. Who hasn’t had one? Adults usually awaken suddenly with a lot of anxiety, but little or no memory of a dream. An anxiety dream is a little different, it’s one that’s disturbing and that you remember immediately upon awakening. Children may awaken with a scream during a “night terror,” then fall back asleep again in a few minutes and forget about the entire episode by morning.

Most people can avoid or reduce sleeping problems by limiting the stress in their lives, by exercising, and by eating a proper diet. Also avoid eating spicy foods or drinking caffeinated beverages late in the day or in large quantities. In general, you should set a specific time to sleep when you can be un-interrupted. Try to sleep and wake at the same time every day, to the extent that this is possible in your schedule.

Luckily, I’m usually so tired I have more trouble waking up than getting to sleep!