Getting a good night’s sleep often comes down to technique. Avoiding late-night technology use and keeping a regular sleep schedule are two important techniques to heed as kids head back to school.
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adolescents
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Children and teens who get less sleep, especially those who spend less time in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, may be more likely to be overweight, according to a report in the Archives of General Psychiatry.
The obesity rate has more than tripled among children six-to-11 years in the past 30 years, and approximately 17 percent of U.S. adolescents are now overweight or obese, according to background information in the article.
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Mattress manufacturer Sealy is running an advertising campaign that seemingly suggests less sleep is acceptable for Americans. In that campaign, Sealy notes most Americans no longer get eight hours of sleep each night, but rather closer to six hours. The ads, promoting Sealy’s mattresses, could also have been used to help push the message that Americans need to get a full night’s rest, not just six hours.
“It’s truly a sad day for consumers when a corporation such as Sealy, focused intently on the sleep habits of consumers so it continues making profits, promotes poor sleep habits while seemingly implying “a better six” hours of sleep is healthy,” said Awake In America’s President Michele Narcavage.
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Teenagers are notorious for having bad sleep habits. New research suggests that having trouble staying awake the next day might not be the only consequence they face.
This study, the first study to look at the relationship between not getting enough sleep and blood pressure in healthy adolescents, researchers found that healthy teens (ages 13 to 16 years old) who slept less than 6½ hours a night were 2½ times more likely to have elevated blood pressure compared to those who slept longer.
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As the new school year approaches, the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) and Awake In America encourage parents and kids to put healthy sleep on the list of back-to-school necessities. NSF and Awake In America recommend gradually adjusting sleep schedules in order to be alert and energized as well as to assure optimal learning, participation and health.
“Kids tend to sleep and wake up later during the summer, making the transition to the school-year sleep schedule difficult,” explains Awake In America’s President, Michele Narcavage. “As tempting as it is to enjoy sleeping late in the final days of summer break, getting up earlier for school will be much easier if kids begin adjusting their sleep schedules now.”
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An independent link between sleep apnea and mortality has been discovered by a group of Australian researchers, suggesting the prevention and treatment of this condition should be a higher priority for government bodies working to improve community health.
The study conducted by the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research in Sydney found moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) was associated with 33 percent mortality over 14 years compared to 7.7 percent mortality in people with no sleep apnea.
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A research abstract presented at Sleep 2008, the 22nd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS), finds a link between poor sleep and suicidal behavior among children and adolescents with depressive episodes.
The study, authored by Maria-Cecilia Lopes, MD, PhD, of Sao Paulo University in Brazil, focused on 303 individuals with pediatric bipolar disorder and pediatric unipolar disorder during depressive episodes. The presence of sleep complaints and suicidal behavior were detected by face-to-face interviews during depressive episodes.
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