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Are You Getting Enough Sleep?

sleepWhen you come home after a hard day of work, your dog leaps up from where he is sleeping to greet you. And then, of course, he wants a walk. After all, he has been sleeping most of the day. And he will undoubtedly lie down for a nap when he returns.

When it comes to sleep, dogs and cats embarrass us humans. Dogs sleep at least 14 hours a day; cats, a little longer. And have you noticed how effortlessly they fall asleep and how happy they seem when dozing?

Maybe 14 hours is a bit much for you and me, but most of us could do a lot better than we do. One study found that nearly 40 percent of American adults got less than six hours of sleep a night, and most of them are well aware that they are not getting enough.

Good health and good sleep go together. But how much sleep do we really need? In an effort to answer this question, the National Sleep Foundation brought together a multidisciplinary panel of 18 experts who searched and evaluated research, then developed a comprehensive set of recommendations for sleep duration in all age categories.

These recommendations are:

  • newborns (0 to 3 months)–14 to 17 hours;
  • infants (4 to 11 months)–12 to 15 hours;
  • toddlers (1 to 2 years)–11 to 14 hours;
  • pre-schoolers (3 to 5 years)–10 to 13 hours;
  • school-age children (6 to 13 years)–9 to 11 hours;
  • teenagers (14 to 17 years)–8 to 10 hours;
  • young adults (18 to 25 years)–7 to 9 hours;
  • adults (26 to 64 years)–7 to 9 hours;

Recognizing that there is substantial variation in individual needs, the panel warned against sleep durations far outside the normal range and wrote that “an individual who intentionally restricts sleep over a prolonged period may be compromising his or her health and well-being.”

What Can You Do?

You probably don’t need anyone to tell you how much sleep you need. If you find yourself stoking up on caffeine to keep you from falling asleep on the job or while you’re driving, you are probably not getting enough.

Likewise, you probably don’t need anyone to tell you why you are sleep deprived. With a busy work schedule, hours fighting traffic on the expressway followed by evening meetings, many Americans feel they simply don’t have enough time to get the sleep they need.

Other reasons for poor sleep include chronic pain, stress and sleep disorders such as insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea. These disorders need to be detected and treated.

One study found that only 43 percent of primary care physicians inquire routinely about their patients’ sleep while nearly twice that number discuss exercise and diet.

Good sleep is particularly important for children because of its effect on their physical and mental development.

NEWBORNS tend to sleep pretty much around the clock with only brief interruptions. When a baby fusses or cries, it’s usually because she wants to be fed, changed or nurtured by her parents. In a short time, she is ready for sleep again.

It’s a wonderful time for parents even though brief night-time awakenings put considerable stress on their own sleep needs. Fortunately, it does pass.

INFANTS, 4 to 11 months old, soon become able to sleep through the night without night-time feedings. And even after 9 to 12 hours of night sleep, they still need one to four naps during the day.

TODDLERS, 1 to 2 years, may need only one, somewhat longer, nap during the day. This is the time, however, when  sleep problems start to occur: resisting going to bed and waking up frequently at night. Experts recommend that parents establish a regular and consistent sleep schedule and an enjoyable bedtime routine.

PRESCHOOLERS, 3 to 5 years of age, rarely continue daytime naps and may continue to resist going to bed and staying there through the night. As their imaginations continue to mature, they may also experience night fears and nightmares. The sleep schedule and nighttime routine continue to be important.

SCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN (ages 6 to 13) are just beginning to experience demands on their time: homework, sports, school activities, TV and computers. It’s important to keep the latter out of the bedroom, and some experts recommend limiting screen time just before going to bed.

It’s also important that the child get regular physical activity. One study found that sedentary children have a harder time falling asleep and staying asleep.

TEENS, YOUNG ADULTS: Biological rhythms start to shift during adolescence, leading to later sleeping and wake times. At the same time, school work and social activities expand to create increasingly greater time pressures. Unfortunately, many schools fail to recognize the problem and set early start times for high schools. Most research finds that later start times would be better in terms of health.

On university campuses, all-night study sessions are common, and the extended sleep-ins on weekends really do little to erase the sleep debt.

Most students expect it all to end once graduation day comes, but such is not the case, as work and family obligations continue to tighten the daily schedule.

Once they retire, older adults may have more time to sleep, but by this time they are likely to be bothered by sleep problems such as insomnia, restless legs syndrome, hormonal changes and shifting biological rhythms.

Good sleep, though, is not optional; it is important for good short-term and long-term health. The answer may be to make sleep a priority around which the rest of the day’s schedule is built.

Lack of sleep affects your ability to learn, to concentrate and to perform even minor tasks. Sleep deprivation affects your mood; and if you’re depressed, you may find it harder to get to sleep. Eventually, poor sleep can lead to serious health problems such as hypertension, heart disease and changes in metabolism.

It’s time to ask yourself: how many hours of sleep do you need to make you feel productive, healthy and happy? The Sleep Foundation guidelines are only estimates, but they are a good place to start.

Diagnosis of any sleep disorder begins with your primary care physician. He or she is a specialist in meeting the general needs of the whole patient. If further evaluation is needed on the patient for a possible sleep disorder, your primary care physician will request an overnight sleep study at  West River Regional Medical Center. The study will be conducted in Hettinger by Winmar Diagnostics Sleep Wellness Center. For more information, visit Winmar Diagnostics at http://www.winmarsleep.com/

 

 REFERENCES:

“Changes in sleep with age,” Harvard Health Publications.
Jennifer Dixon, “Do seniors need less sleep?” WebMD Archives.
“A good night’s sleep,” National Institute on Aging Age Page, May, 2016, updated June 6, 2016.
Mark Hirshkowitz, Ph.D., et al, “National Sleep Foundation’s sleep time duration recommendations: methodology and results summary,” Sleep Health, 2015, 40-43.
“How much sleep do you need?” HelpGuide.org, by Melinda Smith, M.A., Lawrence Robinson, and Robert Segal, M.A., last updated September, 2016.
National Sleep Foundation, “Active children are sleepy children,” July 24, 2009.
National Sleep Folundation, “Children and bedtime fears and nightmares.”
National Sleep Foundation, “How can my child get more sleep?”
National Sleep Foundation, “How much sleep do we really need?”
National Sleep Foundation, “Children and sleep.”
National Sleep Foundation, “Teens and sleep.”
National Sleep Foundation, “Teens, school and sleep: a complex relationship.”
National Sleep Foundation, “2015 Sleep in America poll finds pain a significant challenge when it comes to Americans’ sleep, March 2, 2015.
NIH Senior Health, “Sleep and aging.”
Eric A. Prather, “The sleep revolution: transforming your life one night at a time,” Sleep Health, September, 2016.
Gina Shaw, “Sleep needs through the decades,” WebMD Archives.
“Sleep as a vital sign? Why medical practitioners need to routinely ask their patients about sleep,” Sleep Health, 2015, 11-12.
“Sleep needs,” Sutter Health Palo Alto Medical Foundation, reviewed by Melissa Raby, RN, July 14, 2013.