James B. Maas, professor of psychology at Cornell University and author of Power Sleep: The Revolutionary Program That Prepares Your Mind for Peak Performance (Villard, 1998), will answer American's questions about healthy sleep and sleep problems when he participates in a toll-free USA Today/National Sleep Foundation "Sleep Hotline" on Wednesday, March 24, 1999.

The hotline telephone number will be published in that day's USA Today newspaper with an article on sleep. Thousands of Americans are expected to call the hotline between 9 a.m. and

9 p.m. (EST) with a variety of sleep-related questions, including ways to beat insomnia, causes of daytime sleepiness, and how to get a good night's sleep with a bed partner who snores.

According to the foundations's 1998 survey on Americans and sleep, approximately two-thirds of adults report a sleeping problem. Nearly one-quarter (23 percent) of adults acknowledged they had actually fallen asleep while driving. Maas will share his sleep knowledge and expertise on this hotline as part of his commitment to educating people about the importance of quality sleep and the dangers of undiagnosed, untreated sleep disorders.

The Sleep Hotline is presented as part of National Sleep Awareness Week (March 29 - April 4, 1999), a public -- education campaign to promote understanding of sleep and sleep disorders, and to highlight the importance of sleep-related education, research and advocacy to improve public health and safety.