Gayle Green, professor of English at Scripps College, was a guest on NPR today, talking about her new book, Insomniac. In the interview, she discusses her own experiences living with insomnia, including what it was like trying to get help from the health care system:
"I thought, gee, nobody really much cares in this health care system whether I'm sleeping or not ... it seemed so non-urgent and so perfunctory and then at the end of it I got advice on sleep hygiene, which I could have read on any number of many, many web pages. I didn't need to go to a sleep clinic to get this."
This comment reveals a greater truth: The health care system is generally very good for the products and services it offers - surgeries, pharmaceuticals, insurance plans, cancer treatment, etc. - but not necessarily as good for people. For example, Gayle Green said it took roughly a year from the time her primary care physician filed the paperwork referring her to a sleep clinic to the time that she actually had an appointment at the clinic. The system in this case did what it was supposed to do to keep the system flowing, but not what was needed for Ms. Green.
If you suffer from insomnia and are looking for a forum to discuss your strategies and treatments, take a look at Gayle Green's blog.
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