b'FEATURED ARTICLETHE ROLE OF SLEEP IN MAINTAINING GOOD PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTHWork. Its a big part of ones life and always has been. But over the last few years the always-on technologies and office-in-our-pocket has made it harder than ever to switch off and distinguish the difference between work and rest. The devices we carry allow many of us to take work not just home, but wherever we go.1.What are the main causes of sleep2.Are more people experiencing problems among Australiansproblems today?today? Thefactthatthesaleofsleepingaidshasincreased We often think that sleep problems are a consequence ofdramatically in the last decade indicates that more people poor sleep habits, like drinking coffee too late in the day.todayareexperiencingproblemssleepingthaninour However, research indicates that the reasons are moreparents day. varied than this and while sleeplessness may well be a result of poor sleep behaviour, it is frequently associatedResearch from the US indicates that annually about one in withanotherunderlyingproblemssuchasdepression,three adults suffer problems sleeping. An estimated one anxiety, sleep apnoea and/or alcohol/substance abuse.in every ten adults takes prescribed sleeping pills and a further one in ten take an over-the-counter sleeping aid. More worryingly, while sleeping pills used to be mostly the domain of the elderly this is no longer the case. In the last 10 years, there has been a twofold increase in the use of sleeping pills by people in the 2045 age group. Sleep and wellbeing with Dr Carmel Harrington at Happiness & Its Causes International Convention Centre, Sydney OCTOBER 2020 75'