The lost
hour of snooze time will only add to the nation's already major sleep shortage,
which keeps adults and children alike from getting enough sleep at night, and
affect their behavior and health during the day.
‘Spring forward’ time change may steal an hour of Zzzz’s
University of Michigan sleep experts offer tips & research to help
March 29, 2004
ANN ARBOR, MI -This coming Sunday morning, America will once again get short-changed on sleep by the annual ‘spring forward' clock change.
The lost
hour of snooze time will only add to the nation's already major sleep shortage,
which keeps adults and children alike from getting enough sleep at night, and
affect their behavior and health during the day.
But a team of sleep specialists from the University of Michigan Health System hopes they can help. Their extensive research and clinical experience has yielded a wealth of tips and information to help everyone sleep better.
They are also working with the National Sleep Foundation to spread the word about a national survey on children's sleep patterns that will be released tomorrow as part of National Sleep Week.
At the same time, the U-M team is about to double its capacity to diagnose and treat sleep disorders in both adults and children. On April 5, they'll open a satellite location for the U-M Sleep Disorders Center , at 700 KMS Place just off South State Street in Ann Arbor , to complement the existing facility in the main University Hospital .
The new facility has nine beds where people can spend a night, to be monitored while they sleep. These “sleep studies” reveal breathing interruptions and other problems that occur during sleep, and help doctors plan treatment options. Demand for U-M's specialized sleep disorder services, which require a referral from a physician, has grown by 60 percent in the last three years.
Here are some tips and research findings from U-M sleep experts:
Kids, sleep, obesity and behavior problems: Research suggest many links
Two of the nation's biggest children's health issues — childhood obesity and behavior problems such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder — may have strong links with sleep problems.
Specifically, both conditions have been linked to sleep apnea, a sleep disorder in which a child's breathing is interrupted many times during the night, for periods of a few seconds up to a minute. As a result, the brain “wakes up” out of the sleep cycle to restart normal breathing. About 1 to 3 percent of children have sleep apnea.
Obesity makes both children and adults more prone to develop sleep apnea, because increased weight narrows the airway in the throat, making it more likely to close during sleep. Obstructed airways are also a major cause of the loud snoring that often accompanies sleep apnea.
Although enlarged tonsils are the major cause of sleep apnea in children, and normal-weight children can also develop the condition, the growing epidemic of obesity among children and teens means that more kids are at risk for developing weight-related apnea now or in the future.
As for sleep apnea's link to behavior problems, U-M researchers were among the first to show a link, and they continue to explore this issue. In 2002, they published a study showing that children who snore often are nearly twice as likely as other children to have attention and hyperactivity problems. They're now finishing a study of children who are having their tonsils removed as treatment for sleep apnea, to determine what effect the surgery has on their daytime behavior.
And, the U-M team recently published a paper with scientists from the Altarum Institute showing that the brains of sleeping children with sleep apnea may “wake up” more often than previously thought — possibly with every breath they take, rather that just every pause in their breathing.
“Sleep apnea is under-diagnosed in both children and adults, and we still have much to learn about how it's linked to daytime behavior and quality of sleep,” says U-M Sleep Disorders Center director Ronald Chervin, M.D., M.S., associate professor of neurology at the U-M Medical School . “But since sleep apnea is associated with other health problems, from high blood pressure and heart disease to depression, it's important that parents look for signs of sleep apnea in their children and address them with their doctors.” If need be, get a referral to a sleep clinic like U-M's.
Healthy sleep habits for kids — and their parents!
Even if your children don't have a sleep disorder such as sleep apnea, there's a lot you can do to help them sleep better at night and feel better during the day, says U-M sleep specialist Timothy Hoban, M.D., a clinical associate professor of pediatrics and neurology.
By promoting healthy “sleep habits” and avoiding factors that can interfere with sleep, you can make sure that your children get the sleep they need – and that you get the break you need. You can also prevent dayime sleepiness and crankiness.
No matter how old your children are, from babies to teens, a regular bedtime — and a schedule that allows as much sleep as possible — is the best. School-aged children often require 10 or 11 hours a night, while infants and toddlers need more and teens need less.
To make sure that your child gets all the sleep he or she needs, cut down on potential distractions, such as a television in the bedroom. Hoban recommends keeping the bedroom just for sleeping, not for watching TV, playing video games or even doing homework.
“But reading before bed — alone or with a parent — can be a wonderful way to bring a calm end to the day and help your child fall asleep,” he says. For young children, a bedtime routine of brushing teeth and being tucked in can really help set the stage for a good night's sleep. And even teens, whose bodies have shifting biological clocks that may keep them up late into the night and prevent them from waking up early, may benefit from a calm-down time before bed. And all kids should avoid soda pop and other drinks that contain caffeine, especially in the afternoon and evening.
To get your child ready for the “spring forward” time change, Hoban recommends adjusting their bedtimes 15 minutes earlier each night for a few nights before the clocks spring forward. By Saturday night they'll be ready for the change. Or you can keep them “on schedule” and not allow them to sleep in on Sunday — they should adjust to the new time in a few days.
Contact: Kara Gavin