Sleep is important to everyone's overall health and well being.  Make it a priority for everyone! 

The National Sleep Foundation studies indicate that children and teens do not get enough enough sleep.  School aged children get 1.5 hrs less sleep on average than the recommended 10-11 hours per night and only 20% of adolescents get the recommended 9 hours of sleep.  Actually nearly half of all adolescents sleep less than 8 hours on school nights.  Lack of sleep seriously affects academic performance, mood and a teenager's ability to drive safely.

Adults pay attention.  You too are not getting the necessary sleep.  A 2005 study conducted by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) indicated that 75% of adults reported a sleep problem (insomnia) which meant trouble falling asleep and/or staying asleep.  

Sleep is a necessary activity essential to health and wellness. Inadequate sleep is detrimental to the immune system (frequent infections) and motor skills (drowsiness in sleep deprived drivers is the likely cause of more than 100,000 crashes each year). Poor sleep can also lead to anxiety and/or depression (of women who reported sleep problems 79% endorsed worrying too much or being anxious and 55% feeling unhappy or depressed), problems with concentration and memory, obesity (recent studies found a correlation between inadequate sleep and insufficient levels of leptin, a hormone which regulates carbohydrate metabolism) and a decrease overall quality of life.


TIPS FOR GETTING YOUR CHILD'S SLEEP SCHEDULE BACK ON TRACK

1)  At least a month before school starts, set a limit for the latest bed time and wake up time.  Then gradually move these times earlier.  If time permits, have your child go to bed and get up 15 minutes earlier every week or every few days based on how much time you have until school starts and how off schedule your child's sleep/wake cycle is at this point.

2)  Encourage early morning activities and bright light.  Go outside and take walks or ride bikes.  Don't allow them to sit inside al day watching TV, playing video games or being on the computer.

3)  Be consistent as the sleep/wake cycle gets established for the school year.  St and keep bedtime and wake up schedule even on weekends.  Stay within the same time frame by and hour or two maximum.

4)  TVs, computers and cell phones need to be turned off before bedtime.  If your child can't resist using these devices after bedtime, remove them from the room. 

5)  Model and have your entire family practice and put into place the tips listed below for improving sleep.


TIPS FOR IMPROVING SLEEP


1) Have a standard relaxing bedtime routine and keep regular sleep times. This means going to bed and getting up at about the same time everyday (within and hour or two maximum).

2) Make sure your bedroom is dark, cool and quiet.

3) Exercise regularly but not right before bedtime. Exercise needs to be completed about 3 hours before going to bed.

4) Avoids foods and drinks high in caffeine (coffee, colas, mountain dew, energy drinks, tea and chocolate) and alcohol a few hours before bedtime. Cafeine and alcohol disturb sleep. Nicotine may also make it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep. Seek help to quit smoking.

5) Get as much light as you can during normal waking hours. Your biological clockk is reset when exposed to bright light.

6) If you are having trouble sleeping at night minimize or avoid naps in the daytime.

7) It takes about an hour or so to unwind before going to sleep. Practice "shutting off" the day with a relaxing activity. Stop watching TV and doing computer work.

8) If you can't fall asleep within 30 minutes of going to bed, get up and read or listen to relaxing music and then when you feel tired go back to bed. Even if you have difficulty falling asleep, you need to still get up at the same time the next day to regulate your sleep/wake cycle.

If you follow these tips and continue to have sleep problems, there may be an underlying medical condition.  Some potential problems could be as follows:

1) Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS): symptoms may include unpleasant sensations in the legs such as burning or feeling like insects crawling inside the legs, twitching and an uncontrollable urge to move the legs.  There is medication now available that for some people can reduce and/or eliminate these symptoms.  Please contact us or your primary care provider if you have these symptoms and they are interfering with your quality of life/sleep.

2)  Sleep Apnea:  people with sleep apnea literally stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep, often for a minute or longer and as many as hundreds of times during a single night. Sleep apnea can be caused by either complete obstruction of the airway (obstructive apnea) or partial obstruction (obstructive hypopnea-- hypopnea is slow, shallow breathing), both of which can wake one up.   Symptoms may include:
   
-  Frequent cessation of breathing (apnea) during sleep. Your sleep partner may notice repeated silences from your side of the bed.    
-  Choking or gasping during sleep to get air into the lungs
-  Loud snoring
-  Sudden awakenings to restart breathing
-  Waking up in a sweat during the night
-  Feeling unrefreshed in the morning after a night’s sleep
-  Headaches, sore throat, or dry mouth in the mornings after waking up
-  Daytime sleepiness

Talk with your primary care provider if you have these symptoms.  A sleep study may be needed.

3)  Mood disorders such as anxiety and depression and stress can intefere with sleep.  Counseling and/or short term use of a prescription sleep aid in conjunction with cognitive behavioral therapy may be helpful.  Please contact us  for an appointment to be evaluated. 

The National Sleep Foundation website has quizzes that you may find interesting and helpful:

http://www.sleepfoundation.org/site/c.huIXKjM0IxF/b.2418861/k.B1A8/Tools_and_Quizzes.htm