With a new school year starting for many this month, your kids are now used to staying up late as well as sleeping in during their summer break; they would have a tough time waking up if school were to start tomorrow. It is NOW time to start their back-to-school sleep schedule, so they are getting enough sleep to feel refreshed and well rested for their first day. Keeping up with school work and after school activities is hard enough without fighting afternoon sleepiness caused by not getting enough sleep at night. Lack of sleep can cause your child to develop learning difficulties, lack of focus and delayed physical reactions in addition to showing signs of ADD (attention deficit disorder) and weight gain. Your child needs to ease into this sleep schedule gradually at least two weeks before school starts so they can fall asleep easy by the time school starts. Keeping healthy sleep habits throughout the school year and even on the weekends will help them wake up with the amount of sleep they need for their age. According to the National Sleep Foundation, children between the ages of five and 11 require 10 to 11 hours of sleep. Since children older than age five usually don't nap at school, this means that they need 10 to 11 hours of sleep at night. Children ages 13 to 18 generally require 8.5 to 9.5 hours of sleep, just a little more than required by those 19 and older. See How Many Hours of Sleep do Teenagers Need for more information. Read more »
When I need to sleep I cannot When I need to work I can sleep
When you’re struggling to meet the demands of a job and family life, cutting back on sleep can seem like the only answer. But if you find that you can’t fall asleep at night and are drowsy during the day you may be suffering from insomnia. Your body’s internal clock works on a 24 hour cycle in which sleep consists of a series of stages that will restore and energize your body and mind. If you do not get the required amount of sleep it will take a toll on your mood, productivity and ability to handle stress. If you want to stay health and perform to your potential sleep is necessary. So why is it when you need to sleep you cannot and when you need to work you can sleep? Let’s look at what is going on when you are sleeping, how to determine the amount of sleep you need and what you can do to correct you sleep/wake cycle and stop the insomnia insanity! Read more »
Getting to Sleep Easy
One of the most important things you can do to help improve your sleep is to make your bedtime part of your daily schedule. As long as bedtime is disorganized you’ll have a problem getting to sleep easy. Don’t make your bedtime just whenever you happen to get tired, because you will probably go to bed later than you should. To reenergize your brain and body you need at least seven hours of sleep. You can get by with the occasional poor night sleep, but can’t endure chronic sleep deprivation without eventually showing signs of some health side effects. Read more »
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