Should sleep be assessed just like blood pressure or vision? Elizabeth Tracey reports

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Good quality, regular sleep is vital to your health, with many studies finding that when it’s not you are at higher risk for a range of health consequences. Johns Hopkins sleep expert Charlene Gamaldo says you should be asked about your sleep quality whenever your health is being assessed.

Gamaldo: It really should be a vital sign right up there with taking that blood pressure is assessing a mini screener for sleep. We have been really pushing that. I think we've gotten pretty far in 20 years because it's only been since the 70s that sleep has been recognized as a discipline. Still right now most US medical school graduates get between zero to two hours of sleep education so it's really hard for physicians outside of a sleep specialist to be able to hone in on that if they've never gotten training or education on it.  :32

Gamaldo says that if you’re experiencing poor sleep and your provider doesn’t ask about it, it is perfectly appropriate for you to bring it up as a health concern. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.