SLEEP ARE YOU GETTING ENOUGH? Why sleep is important

Q: How many hours of sleep is recommended for… Children between 3-5 years of age? Children between 6-12 years of age? Adolescents 12years +? A: Young children between 3-5 yrs are recommended to receive 11 to 13 full hours of sleep Older children, 9 to 11 full hours of sleep per night Adolescents, 8.5 to 9.5 hours of sleep

Q: What is the average hours of sleep an adult gets each night A: According to a recent article in Time Magazine, the average American adult receives an average of 6.5 hours of sleep a night

How many hours of sleep should adults get each night? According to the National Sleep Foundation, adults should get 7 to 9 hours of full sleep each night WHY?!? Sleep usually consists of five phases, each of which are very critical to the other. Regular sleep cycles help regulate immune and digestive systems Helps control emotions and mental performance such as memory, problem solving, and decision making Provides the body adequate time to break down proteins, which help our bodies heal and grow

DID YOU KNOW? At least 40 million Americans each year suffer from chronic, long term sleep disorders An additional 20 million experience sleep problems Sleep deprivation and medical conditions from chronic loss of sleep costs an estimated $16 billion in medical costs each year There are over 70 different sleep disorders Information retrieved from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes

Most Common Sleep Disorders Insomnia- about 60 million Americans Sleep Apnea- interrupted breathing, about 18 million Americans Restless Leg Syndrome- about 12 million Americans Narcolepsy- estimated 250,000 Americans Information retrieved from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes

What is Sleep Deprivation? When you do not get the sleep you need, you begin to build up a sleep debt * Way to look at it: So if you are losing one hour of sleep a day during the week, by Friday you have a 5 hour sleep debt. We usually make up for this by sleeping in on Saturday and Sunday. Sleep debt is caused by not having enough time to get the sleep you need, or it is due to a sleep disorder which disrupts sleep.

Causes of Sleep Deprivation Not allowing enough time to sleep Anything that cause insomnia or poor quality of sleep (caffeine, alcohol, stress) Sleep Disorders Excessive worry or depression Repeated waking up in the middle of the night Working at night Traveling across time zones Medical pain or difficulty breathing Material Retrieved from Nebraska Rural Health & Safety Coalition

Consequences of Sleep Deprivation Decrease in productivity Increase of motor vehicle and work related accidents Possible disruption of social relationships Possible development of more serious medical conditions Immune system and digestive issues Material Retrieved from Nebraska Rural Health & Safety Coalition

Sleepiness Scale What Activities make you doze In contrast to just feeling tired… how likely are you to doze off in the following situations? Rate each on a scale from 0 to 3. 0 indicating would never doze and 3 indicates highly likely to doze 1.Sitting & Reading 2.Watching TV 3.As a passenger in a car 4.Lying down to rest 5.Sitting & Talking to someone 6.Sitting quietly after lunch 7.In a car, while waiting in traffic * Add you numbers up… if your score is greater than 10 there is a cause for concern due to significant daytime sleepiness

Sleep & Our Students As teenagers move through the teen years, they need an increasing amount of sleep… researchers suggest about 9 hours straight sleep But recent studies indicate that they actually receive less for each grade they advance Sleep deprivation is associated with memory loss, anxiety, depression, and decrease in creativity 20% of all high school students fall asleep in class

The Good News Better sleep… is possible

Tips for a Healthy Sleep Try to go to bed at the same time and get up at the same time everyday Stay away from caffeine Use your bed for sleep, not for an office Avoid exercising near bedtime Don’t go to bed hungry Avoid looking at the clock A night cap… has a price

Useful Websites National Sleep Foundation- Sleep Test American Academy of Sleep Medicine American Insomnia Association Talk with others about sleep The Hoag Hospital Sleep Disorder Center