The amount of sleep each person needs depends on many factors, including age. Infants generally require about 16 hours a day, while teenagers need about 9 hours on average. For most adults, 7 to 8 hours a night appears to be the best amount of sleep, although some people may need as few as 5 hours or as many as 10 hours of sleep each day. Women in the first 3 months of pregnancy often need several more hours of sleep than usual. The amount of sleep a person needs also increases if he or she has been deprived of sleep in previous days. Getting too little sleep creates a "sleep debt," which is much like being overdrawn at a bank.

Many studies make it clear that sleep deprivation is dangerous. Sleep-deprived people who are tested by using a driving simulator or by performing a hand-eye coordination task perform as badly as or worse than those who are intoxicated. Driver fatigue is responsible for an estimated 100,000 motor vehicle accidents and 1500 deaths each year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The National Sleep Foundation says that if you have trouble keeping your eyes focused, if you can’t stop yawning, or if you can’t remember driving the last few miles, you are probably too drowsy to drive safely.

Article found at: http://psychcentral.com/disorders/sleep/sleep_intro.htm

Is Stress Causing Your Insomnia?
8 Telltale Symptoms


Stress comes in different forms—some good, some bad—and every person responds to it differently. Major life changes, whether at work, at home, or in your social relationships, are often a source of stress that may keep you up at night or trigger ongoing problems with insomnia.

If you are having ongoing sleep problems, consider whether you may be under a lot of stress. Stress is a normal part of everyday life, but an increase in stress can cause physical and emotional problems. Symptoms of stress include:
• Difficulty sleeping or a change in your sleep pattern
• Headache, stiff neck, or nagging backache
• Rapid breathing or rapid heart rate
• Sweaty palms
• Upset stomach
• Irritability
• Fatigue
• Inability to concentrate, to remember, or to make decisions

Changes in life's expectations or demands may lead to stress. Changes in marriage or other relationships, work, financial difficulties, or family obligations all may increase stress. It is important to evaluate all aspects of your life, because stress can build up over time. If you think that stress is causing your sleep problems, work with your health professional to develop a plan to reduce your stress level and promote sleep.

See: http://www.health.com/health/condition-article/0,,20188525,00.html

Are the Holidays Interfering with Your Sleep?

National Sleep Foundation Encourages Families To Make Sleep a Priority for a Happier Holiday Season

With work parties, school plays, family commitments and shopping trips, many parents and their children find themselves running on overload during the holiday season, leaving little time for sleep. As people across the country prepare to celebrate the holidays, the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) is sending out an important reminder -- sleep deprivation can take the fun out these festive gatherings, whereas getting adequate sleep will help make holidays merrier for every member of your family.

"Parents and their children are happier after a good night’s sleep," says Richard L. Gelula, NSF’s chief executive officer. "Trying to fit in so many activities around the holidays can interfere with sleep for people of all ages. The excitement and stress of the holidays may mean that children and their parents have difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep….”

"With the heightened activities of the holidays, the loss of sleep gets even worse for both parents and kids. Don’t be surprised if your children get crankier or more irritable as the days go by and they get less sleep," says Jodi Mindell, PhD, adding, "Try to maintain usual bed times for the entire family to make the holidays merrier." Dr. Mindell is associate director of the Sleep Center at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and an NSF director. She is the co-author, with Dr. Judy Owens, of the new book "Take Charge of Your Child’s Sleep."

NSF makes the following recommendations for parents and caregivers to recognize the importance of sleep during this holiday season and throughout the year:

* Make sufficient sleep a family priority. Understanding the importance of getting enough sleep and how sleep affects the overall health of parents and children is the first step towards making sleep a family priority.

* Embrace good sleep habits. Regular bedtime routines, creating a quiet and comfortable bedroom, and adhering to appropriate bedtime and wake times can go a long way to better sleep. Televisions and computers need to be out of the bedroom and caffeine should not be part of a child's diet.

* Know when to limit activities. Parents/caregivers need to determine the amount of sleep each family member needs and take steps to ensure their individual needs are met. Every family member must make a good night’s sleep a regular part of his/her daily schedule and that includes around the holidays.

NSF also reminds parents that if your child experiences difficulty falling asleep, nighttime awakenings, snoring or has trouble breathing, they should discuss these problems with their child’s doctor. Most sleep problems are easily treated.

See: http://www.sleepfoundation.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=huIXKjM0IxF&b=4172333&ct=3454003

Too Little Sleep, Too Much Snacking?

Study Shows Lack of Sleep Can Lead to More Munching on Snacks

By Charlene Laino
WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

June 11, 2008 (Baltimore) -- Can't figure out why you can't keep your hand out of the cookie jar? It could be those long hours you've been keeping, a small study suggests.

Researchers have found that people who don't get enough sleep often indulge in excessive snacking.

The study is important because it attempts to tease out the reasons why sleep deprivation can lead to obesity, says Sanjeev Kothare, MD, a spokesman for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM). Kothare, a sleep specialist at Harvard Medical School, was not involved with the work.

"It suggests that high calorie intake from snacks plays a role," he tells WebMD.

The study involved 11 healthy men and women who agreed to enter the sleep lab for two 14-day periods. During one visit, they were allowed to sleep for only five-and-a-half hours each night. During the other, they slept for eight-and-a-half hours a night. During both visits, they could eat as much as they wanted, whenever they wanted.

Plamen Penev, MD, PhD, of the University of Chicago, headed the study. He presented the findings here at SLEEP 2008, the 22nd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.

Results showed that when bedtimes were restricted to five-and-a-half hours, participants consumed an average of 1,087 calories a day from snacks alone. In contrast, they consumed 866 in calories from snacking when given eight-and-a-half hours to sleep.

The total number of calories consumed each day and the total weight gain was similar during both visits. But Kothare notes that participants were only studied for a few weeks. It's possible other changes would have been seen if they were followed longer, he says.

The AASM recommends that adults get between seven and eight hours of sleep nightly.

Time Change=Drowsy Driving

Turning Clocks Back Increases Risk of Drowsy Driving

Main Category: Sleep / Sleep Disorders / Insomnia
Also Included In: Public Health
Article Date: 01 Nov 2008 - 0:00 PDT

When daylight savings ends Sunday morning, roads may become more dangerous, says The National Road Safety Foundation, Inc. a non-profit that provides free driver safety films and programs for schools and other organizations.

"Once we move the clocks back this weekend, the drive home from work or school for many will likely be in the dark," says Michelle Anderson of The National Road Safety Foundation. "The time change and earlier nightfall are a combination that's a formula for drowsy driving -- a condition many drivers fail to recognize. It can be as dangerous as drinking and driving."

A recent study by the National Sleep Foundation last year show 60 percent of U.S. motorists have driven while sleepy, and nearly 37 percent admit to having fallen asleep at the wheel. The risk of drowsy driving is especially prevalent among teens, who tend to keep late hours and think they can function on minimal sleep.

The National Road Safety Foundation has a free teaching program, "Recognizing the Drowsy Driver," that includes two films with real-life vignettes of drowsy drivers, as well as discussion guides for classroom use.

The program teaches drivers to be alert to the signs of drowsiness while driving:

-- Difficulty focusing, frequent blinking, rubbing eyes

-- Daydreaming or not remembering the last few miles driven

-- Head snaps, yawning

-- Drifting out of your lane, tailgating or hitting shoulder rumble strips

If you experience any of these warning signs, pull over to a safe area and take a break, have a cup or two of coffee or a caffeinated snack and, if possible, take a 20-minute nap. Allow 30 minutes for the caffeine to enter your bloodstream.