Daily Rounds: Price Of Insomnia; GOP Candidates On Health; Kids Diet Book Backlash

Insomnia Costs $63 Billion In Productivity Every Year "Insomniacs' inability to fully perform at work leads to $63 billion in lost productivity each year, according to the American Insomnia Study. Results of a Harvard study showed that, although most sleep-deprived people do come to work, insomnia leads to 252 million lost days of productivity each year. "We were shocked by the enormous impact insomnia has on the average person's life," said lead author Ronald Kessler, a professor at Harvard Medical School. "It's an underappreciated problem. Americans are not missing work because of insomnia. They are still going to their jobs but accomplishing less because they're tired. In an information-based economy, it's difficult to find a condition that has a greater effect on productivity." (RTTNews)

G.O.P. Candidates’ Stances on Health Care Mask Their Records as Governors - NYTimes.com "The three most prominent current or former governors running for president — Rick Perry, Mitt Romney and Jon M. Huntsman Jr. — are firmly united in their commitment to repealing President Obama’s health care law. But that unanimity masks a broad divergence in their approaches to the issue while in office, spanning the spectrum of Republican positioning."(nytimes.com)

When health insurance isn’t enough - Ezra Klein - The Washington Post "These numbers are bad news for our attempt to control health cost growth. The health reform law’s insurance expansion is largely meant to encourage greater preventive care, to curtail the more expensive hospital and emergency room treatments. If it doesn’t - and our patterns of care look pretty similar to what we have now - we’re in some trouble " (The Washington Post)

Outrage explodes over 'diet' book for girls - USATODAY.com "Messages of good health and positive self-esteem for girls aren't hard to come by in kid lit, so what's the deal with all the attention for a not-yet-published rhyming picture book about an obese, unhappy 14-year-old named Maggie? The title, for starters: "Maggie Goes on a Diet." For seconds, like-wildfire circulation of a blurb describing how the bullied girl is transformed through time, exercise and hard work into a popular, confident and average size soccer star." (yourlife.usatoday.com)

Willpower — By Roy F. Baumeister and John Tierney — Book Review - NYTimes.com"Baumeister then pushed the muscle metaphor even further by showing that a depleted ego can be invigorated by a sugary pick-me-up (though not an indistinguishable beverage containing diet sweetener). And he showed that self-control, though almost certainly heritable in part, can be toned up by exercising it. He enrolled students in regimens that required them to keep track of their eating, exercise regularly, use a mouse with their weaker hand or (one that really gave them a workout) speak in complete sentences and without swearing. After several weeks, the students were more resistant to ego depletion in the lab and showed greater self-control in their lives. They smoked, drank and snacked less, watched less television, studied more and washed more dishes. (nytimes.com)