NECC Professor John Murray coordinator of the Sleep Technology Program

Are you one of the 50 to 70 million adults in the United States who have difficulty sleeping? If yes, you may want to attend Northern Essex Community College Professor John Murray’s Thursday, April 17 presentation at the Haverhill (MA) Public Library titled “How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep.” Free and open to the public, the presentation will begin at 7 p.m. at the library, 99 Main St., Haverhill.

Sleep issues affect all ages from babies who can’t sleep through the night to teens who simply don’t get enough sleep to elderly people who suffer from insomnia. While having a few sleepless nights can be frustrating, undiagnosed sleep issues can also threaten a person’s health, leading to stroke, hypertension or heart failure.

In this presentation, John Murray, coordinator of the Sleep Technology Program at Northern Essex, will provide a general overview of sleep issues.

Murray is a registered respiratory therapist as well as a registered polysomnographic technologist. He earned an Associate of Science in Respiratory Therapy from Newbury College and a Bachelor of Science in Polysomnography from California College of Health Science.

Before joining the Northern Essex faculty in 2007, he worked at the Maine Sleep Institute at Maine Medical Center, where he was the manager of the service. Prior to that, he was the director of Rehabilitation Services at Huggins Hospital in Wolfeboro N.H. where he was responsible for clinical operations in cardiopulmonary care, cardiac rehabilitation, physical and occupational therapy, speech pathology, and long term care patient activities.

Northern Essex offers a sleep technologist certificate which prepares students for a career in sleep medicine. The program includes classroom study, laboratory practice, and clinical experiences. Most sleep technologists work in sleep labs, often associated with hospitals, helping to diagnose sleep disorders.

This presentation is made possible through the Northern Essex Community College Speakers Bureau. For more information on the speakers’ bureau, visit the college’s website www.mass.edu or contact Ernie Greenslade, director of public relations, at 978-556-3862 or egreenslade@necc.mass.edu.

For more information on the April 17 presentation, contact Sarah Moser at the Haverhill Public Library, smoser@mvlc.org or 978 373-1586, ext. 641.