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Sleep news: Items of interest featuring insomnia and sleep
www.WorldSleepDay.org provide education on some basic principles about sleep. Visit their website for more information. Meanwhile, here are some sleep hygiene recommendations for adults and children that will help you sleep better.
10 Commandments of Sleep Hygiene for Adults
In addition to clinical sleep problems, poor sleep habits can cause poor quality sleep in adults. To help improve overall sleep and wellness,
WASM has created the 10 Commandments of Sleep Hygiene for Adults:
- Establish a regular bedtime and waking time.
- If you are in the habit of taking siestas, do not exceed 45 minutes of daytime sleep.
- Avoid excessive alcohol ingestion 4 hours before bedtime, and do not smoke.
- Avoid caffeine 6 hours before bedtime. This includes coffee, tea and many sodas, as well as chocolate.
- Avoid heavy, spicy, or sugary foods 4 hours before bedtime. A light snack before bed is acceptable.
- Exercise regularly, but not right before bed.
- Use comfortable, inviting bedding.
- Find a comfortable sleep temperature setting and keep the room well ventilated.
- Block out all distracting noise and eliminate as much light as possible.
- Reserve your bed for sleep and sex, avoiding its use for work or general recreation.
10 Commandments of Sleep Hygiene for Children (Ages Birth to 12 Years)
Sleep is one of the most important contributors to your child’s physical and mental health. Good sleep habits, sleep hygiene, or “sleep health” are alternative terms often used to describe sleep promoting practices. The explanation as to why healthy sleep practices promote sleep is likely to be, at least in part, that they work by improving the regulation of sleep, either by reinforcing the body’s natural circadian rhythms (ie, timing of light and darkness), or by increasing the drive to sleep. Other sleep practices help us to associate certain activities (like a bedtime routine) and environments (ie, the bedroom) with sleep. Healthy sleep behaviors also promote sleep by reducing factors in the environment which are stimulating (like caffeine) and increasing relaxation, making it easier to fall and stay asleep.
Finally, good sleep practices include providing an adequate opportunity for sleep based on age and individual sleep needs and an environment that is conducive to good sleep quality and safety.
- Make sure your child gets enough sleep by setting an age-appropriate bedtime (preferably before 9:00 pm or 21:00 hours) and waketime*.
- Keep a consistent bedtime and waketime on weekdays and weekends.
- Establish a consistent bedtime routine and recommend wearing comfortable clothes in bed, including strong absorbing diapers for infants.
- Encourage your child to fall asleep independently.
- Avoid bright lights at bedtime and during the night and increase light exposure in the morning.
- Keep all electronics, including televisions, computers, and cell phones, out of the bedroom and limit use of electronics before bedtime.
- Maintain a regular daily schedule, including consistent mealtimes.
- Have an age-appropriate nap schedule.
- Ensure plenty of exercise and time spent outdoors during the day.
- Eliminate foods and beverages containing caffeine, including many sodas, coffee, and tea.
* TABLE OF RECOMMENDED SLEEP AMOUNTS
AGE - - - - - - - - - - - - SLEEP NEED
3-12 months - - - - - - -14 to15 hours
1-3 years - - - - - - - - - 12 to14 hours
3-5 years - - - - - - - - - 11 to 13 hours
6-12 years - - - - - - - - 10 to 11 hours
12-18 years - - - - - - - -8.5 to 9.5 hours
World Sleep Day (WSD) is an annual event intended to be a celebration of sleep and a call to action on important issues related to sleep. It is
organized by the World Sleep Day Committee of the World Association of Sleep Medicine (WASM), and aims to lessen the burden of sleep problems on society
through better prevention and management of sleep disorders. The world sleep day is on the Friday before the March equinoxes, and therefore, the date
changes each year.
The following are the future World Sleep Day dates (to find out more visit the website):
2017 is March 17, 2017; 2018 is March 16, 2018; 2019 is March 15, 2019 and 2020 is March 14, 2020.
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