LOSING SLEEP?

I picked up a back issue of the Toronto Star in my keep for reading' pile under my desk - I don't always get around to attacking it - about changing blankets in the spring for a better sleep. It isn't something we get around to until it's damn near mid-summer.

Hot nights lead to a restless sleep, The Canadian Institutes of Heath Research tells us. It links chronic health deprivation to multiple issues: hypertension and poor health among them. It lets us know emphatically we Canadians aren't getting enough sleep. Blankets are not the only cause. Tariffs, politics and a slumping economy can keep us tossing and turning.

Author's comment: Here's what to look for-organic cotton or bamboo sheets. What to avoid: polyester and other synthetic materials are likely to trap in heat and sweat. Should we Canadians be snuggling under a blanket when it's more than 25 degrees at midnight? That 's enough to keep us awake.