Posts Tagged ‘getting enough sleep’



Guide to Healthy Sleep on

Your Guide to Healthy Sleep

  • Introduction to sleep
  • What is sleep?
  • How much sleep is enough?
  • Why sleep is good for you and skimping on sleep isn’t
  • How much sleep do you need?
  • Tips for a good nights sleep
  • Could you have a sleep disorder?
  • Patient Discussions: Sleep – Problems Experienced
  • Find a local Sleep Specialist in your town

Are You Sleep Deprived?

Medical Author: Melissa Conrad Stppler, MD
Medical Editor: Jay W. Marks, MD

No matter how much sleep you need, if you don’t get enough, you will suffer the effects of sleep deprivation. Research has shown that in tests of driving ability and hand-eye coordination, people deprived of sleep perform as badly as, or even worse than, people who are intoxicated. It’s no wonder that drowsiness is a major cause of traffic accidents and deaths.

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Your Top 10 Questions About SleepAnswered! Rest easy. Here’s everything you need to know. By KATHERINE FINN DAVIS, PHD, RN, CPNP

New parents often worry about their babys sleep: Is he sleeping too much or not enough? Is he in the right position? Where should he sleep? Dont let these questions keep you up at night the answers are easy once you know the basics.

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Sleep: An Important Part Of Healthy Development

Sleep. It’s what all humans need. It is part of the rhythm of life and the life cycle. We know that babies sleep a lot. Babies spend more than half the day sleeping. Even by age two, a toddler spends more time asleep than awake. All in all, nearly 40 percent of childhood is spent sleeping.

Why do we need to sleep? Sleep is a necessary part of healthy brain functioning. The right amount of restful sleep is needed for our overall good health. Sleep has a direct influence on many of the body’s functions and helps the body to heal, grow, and stay on track. Recent studies have also linked the risk of obesity to not getting enough sleep. When we get the right amount of sleep, the brain will make chemicals that help control hunger and weight. The amount and quality of sleep we have can affect our safety, how alert we are, as well as our memories, moods, behavior, and learning abilities. Sleep is especially important for children’s learning.

How Much Sleep Do Children Need?

Sleep is as important to children’s development and well-being as nutrition and physical activity. Making sure children get enough rest is but one of many concerns of parents with young children. However, parents are often not sure how much sleep their children need and how much is enough sleep. Doctors and other experts have recommended the following amounts of sleep for children by age:

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Getting Enough Sleep

If you are like most people, the answer is probably “no”. Add care giving to the equation, and the ability and time to get enough sleep fades quickly. Most of us use weekends to catch up on sleep just a little. But if you require extra sleep each weekend or are tired during the day, you are probably not getting enough sleep during the night.

Everyone’s sleep requirements vary between 6-8 hours for an average healthy adult. Most people need around 8 hours but get substantially less than that every night.

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Baby sleep deprivation

Baby sleep deprivation: How to tell if your baby is overtired or underslept 2008 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved

Baby sleep deprivation? As a chronic condition, it’s probably very rare. Babies are pretty good at regulating their own sleep if they are given plenty of opportunities for quiet time.

Often, parents are worried because they are uncertain about their baby’s sleep requirements. Healthy babies may vary significantly in the amount of sleep that they need. To help you put your concerns about baby sleep deprivation in perspective, see this article about baby sleep needs.

But its possible for things to go wrong. Some parents may inadvertently over-stimulate their babies, making it harder for them to fall asleep. In other cases, babies may suffer from medical conditions or behavioral problems that interfere with their sleep. Parents may also overestimate how much sleep their babies need, causing babies to resist bedtime.

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Teens Are Not Getting Enough Sleep, New Survey Suggests

We all know how important sleep is, so why is it that so many people don’t get enough? The National Sleep Foundation reports than approximately 50 million American adults suffer from chronic sleep problems. while there are many great reasons to get a good night’s sleep, many people simply don’t place a high priority on sleep. The National Sleep Foundation report also found that nearly 63% of respondents simply accept sleep deprivation as a part of their life, while 32% turn to caffeinated drinks to combat daytime sleepiness.

A new survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asked more than 12,000 U.S. high school students how much sleep they were getting each night. Past research suggests that teenagers need to get at least nine hours of sleep each night. Of the 12,000 students surveyed, only 900 reported getting the recommended amount and another 2,8000 indicated that they got an average of eight hours of sleep each night.

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How Aging Affects Sleep in Adults and the Elderly

Sleep Disorders: How Does Aging Affect Sleep?

More than half of men and women over the age of 65 years complain of at least one sleep problem. Many older people experience insomnia and other sleep difficulties on a regular basis.

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The Baby Sleep Solution

All of the testimonials below are excerpts from emails that have been received from parents who have used the Baby Sleep Solution audio program. For ease of reading I have shortened some of the testimonials and for obvious reasons I have removed any specific secrets of the Baby Sleep Solution and replaced them with [......]. Enjoy!

“Thank you so much, you have made the whole house happy!”

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Behavioral effects of sleep deprivation

Behavioral effects of sleep deprivation.

Behavioral effects of sleep deprivation differ from person to person, fundamentally the causes are the same.There are certain known behavioral effects of sleep deprivation. Lack of the correct amount of restful sleep is an epidemic in our civilized nations of the 21st century.


The vast majority of adults and many children walk around sleep deprived to one degree or another. Not getting enough sleep has become so routine that it’s accepted as “normal” much of the time. But this is a very unhealthy cultural norm such that the behavioral effects of sleep deprivation have now been accepted as a “normal” thing.

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Back Pain: How to Get Better Sleep

Chronic Back Pain and Sleep

When chronic back pain affects you or a family member, Â you might despair of ever getting a good night’s sleep. Pain can disturb the sleep your family needs, night after night. But experts say that with proper treatment, the chances are very good that you or your loved one can get relief from chronic back pain and enjoy normal sleep. Below, find out about treatments and lifestyle tips for better sleep.

Why Sleep Is Important When You Have Chronic Back Pain

The inability to get a good night’s sleep hurts — literally. Chronic back pain prevents you from sleeping well. You can wake up hurting even more.

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Recent Comments
  • Clara Edwards: Our daughter had been an erratic sleeper (much of it our fault, in retrospect) and frequently ended up...
  • Emilio Gonzalez: Ferber does a good job of describing what happens when you sleep. Apparently everyone wakes up in...
  • Roberta Reid: I guess my main problem with Ferber was the way that it’s an exact, rigid theory or philosophy....
  • Amber Laws: We were careful to put him in bed before he was completely asleep so he could adjust to the idea of being...
  • Debbie Hubbard: Good luck.posted by dragonsi55 at 7:07 AM on September 29, 2006
  • Douglas Witherell: This idea that you can have a child sleeping quietly in three days is more to appease the parents,...
  • Robert Spangler: The “Cry it out” method didn’t work on him — what did work was something...
  • William Aguilar: The thing is, children are not interchangable. For varying reasons, some kids sleep well righr away...
  • Robin Kelly: We got a baby massage book and started “bedtime” about 30 minutes before we put him down for...
  • Jessica Miller: That being said, rdurbin already wrote down everything I wanted to say–especially the part...
  • Justin Schultz: An idea? To appease us? We spent many months with various techniques that didn’t work, Ferber...
  • Linda Allmon: The second one was a preemie (about 7 weeks) and it literally took years for him to settle into a good...
  • Tara Mccandless: But they do, frequently, until their child is asleep. Have you read any other part of it than the...
  • Darrell Jones: I agree with the being present and patting on the back and telling him it is night night time while...
  • Todd Mcclelland: I think even if you don’t use his process, he’s got a lot of interesting things to say...