Sleep Hygiene

Are you tired in your first class or late for school?

"Sleep is the key to health, performance, safety, and quality of life"

(from The National Sleep Foundation)

Sleep For Teens IQ Test

___T ___T ___T ___T ___T ___T ___T ___T ___T ___T ___T ___T ___ F ___ F ___ F ___ F ___ F ___ F ___ F ___ F ___ F ___ F ___ F ___ F 1. During sleep, your brain rests 2. You can learn to function normally with two or three hours less sleep than your body actually needs per night 3. Teens go to sleep and wake later because they are lazy 4. Although you may not get enough sleep during the week, you can catch up on your sleep on weekends and still have healthy sleep habits 5. Boredom makes you feel sleepy, even if you have had enough sleep 6. Resting in bed with your eyes closed cannot satisfy your body's need for sleep 7. Snoring is not harmful as long as it does not disturb others or wake you up 8. Most people do not know when they are sleepy 9. Turning up the radio, opening the window, or turning on the air conditioner will help you stay awake while driving 10. Sleep disorders are mainly due to worry or psychological problems 11. Everyone dreams every night 12. Driving after being awake for 18 hours puts you at the same level of risk for a crash as someone who is legally drunk

1. The brain, as well as the body, is hard at work while we sleep. Sleep is critical to helping both the mind and the body maintain physical and psychological well-being. 2. In an experiment on sleep deprivation, there was no difference in the decrease of performance level between those who had slept four or six hours for two weeks and those who had not slept at all for three days. The experiment showed that adolescents cannot perform well without any sleep but also can't perform well with much less than the nine hours they require.

* SLEEP NEEDS THROUGHOUT LIFE Age Group Newborns 0-2 months 2-12 months Children 12-18 months 18 months-2 years 3-5 years Adolescents Hours 10.5-18 14-15 13-15 12-14 11-13 7-9

3. For teens, morning comes later and the day lasts longer. Alterations of the three sleep-wake factors-the slower buildup of sleepiness during the day, the delayed influence of light, and the longer day-make our adolescents different and uncomfortably out of sync.

4. It's not a solution. In fact, in the long run, catching up by sleeping late on the weekends actually causes more problems. If you get up at noon on Sunday, you'll need to accumulate sleepiness for 15 or 16 hours before you can go to sleep again-which means you may not be able to fall asleep until 4:00 a.m. on Monday!

9. List of danger signs to help prevent trouble on the road Feeling the need to turn up the radio or roll down the window Having difficulty focusing or keeping your eyes open Yawning repeatedly Having wandering, disconnected thoughts Feeling restless or irritable Drifting out of your lane or hitting the shoulder strips Tailgating or missing traffic signs or exits If you experiences any of these signs, it's time for you to get off the road; fid a safe, well-lit place for a 20-minutes nap; or call someone to pick you up

12. After you are awake for more than 16 hours, you drive as though you had a blood alcohol level of 0.05 to 0.1 percent. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drowsiness or fatigue is a major cause of at least 100,000 police-reported traffic crashes each year that kill more than 1,500 Americans and injure 71,000. Drivers under the age of 25 are responsible for 55 percent of those accidents.

Answers : 1.F 2.F 3.F 4.F 5.F 6.T 7.F 8.T 9.F 10.F 11.T 12.T

10 Ways to Improve Your Sleep Habits

Strategy 1: Establish Sleep-Friendly Environment Rearrange the furniture to make you feel comfortable and the room feel different Find a space other than the bedroom to do homework; the bedroom should be a place jus for relaxing activities and sleeping

Strategy 2: Limit the Use of TVs, Phone, Instant Messaging, Video Games, and computers Pick a time to say goodnight to friends on the phone or sign off from the computer Take the TV out of the bedroom Listening to your favorite soothing music can help you sleep

Strategy 3: Encourage Healthy Eating Habits Big meals close to bedtime require digestive processes that can keep you awake Avoid sleep-preventing caffeinated foods and drinks after 4:00 p.m. Before lights out, drinking a cup of warm herbal tea or warm milk (without the chocolate) can help teens wind down If you don't eat dinner, you'll feel hungry all night and your brain will keep you awake to eat

Strategy 4: Establish Successful Bedtime and Wake-Up Routines The best sleep comes from following a regular sleep-wake routine Define a time you will be in bed with the lights out Reduce the time you need to get out the door in the morning. e.g. showering before bed instead of in the morning, making the all-important clothes choices the night before "flushing to paper"-keep a diary Avoid late-night encounters with parents that might provoke arguments; for example, resolving to ask for permission to go to a concert early in the evening so there's time to work out a solution and cool off if needed before bedtime

Strategy 5: Control Light Exposure and Brain Cues Be exposed to less light in the evening and a lot of light in the morning

Strategy 6: Set Up a Realistic Homework Routine-and Eliminate All-Nighters Organize your homework routine and plan breaks to some of the things on the list of favorite things to do

Strategy 7: Reduce Stress There's no doubt about it - school is exhausting. You should reward yourself for surviving another school day by doing something relaxing for at least half an hour when you get home

Strategy 8: Restrict Napping You shouldn't nap for more than 40 minutes (20 or 30 is better) You shouldn't nap late in the day; the later you nap, the harder it will be to fall asleep

Strategy 9: Increase Exercise Reward yourself with some exercise time

Strategy 10: Recognize and Stop Enabling Poor Sleep Habits Keep a sleep log

Sleep Hygiene Questionnaire

___ yes ___ yes ___ yes ___ yes ___ yes ___ yes ___ yes ___ yes ___ yes ___ yes ___ yes ___ yes ___ yes ___ yes ___ no ___ no ___ no ___ no ___ no ___ no ___ no ___ no ___ no ___ no ___ no ___ no ___ no ___ no 1. Do you lie in bed for hours, even when you aren't asleep? 2. Do you read in bed? 3. Do you watch television in bed? 4. Do you eat, talk on the phone, or do other activities in bed? 5. Do you engage in stimulating activities before bedtime? 6. Do you watch the clock at night? 7. Do you consume large quantities of caffeine, or consume any within twelve hours of bedtime? 8. Do you smoke, either during the day or at night? 9. Do you exercise within four hours of bedtime? 10. Do you keep bright lights on until it's time for bed? 11. Do you drink alcohol to help you sleep? 12. Does your bedtime or wake up time often vary by more than an hour? 13. Do you spend more time in bed on the weekends? 14. Is your sleeping environment uncomfortable in any way?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you need to improve certain aspects of your hygiene. Let's look at each question in detail.

If you answered yes to question 1, you're conditioning yourself to associate your bed with wakefulness, which will make it difficult for you to sleep well! If you answered no, you're on the right track breaking any associations you may have with your bed being a place where you don't sleep well.

If you answered yes to question 2, 3, or 4, you're engaging in stimulating activities while in bed. Please remember that the bed is for sleep and sex only. Watching television, reading books, talking the phone, and other stimulating activities should take place in another room.

If you answered yes to question 5, you need to try to relax before bedtime. This is very important setting the stage for a restful night's sleep.

If you answered yes to question 6, remember this: Every time you look at the clock, you're reminding yourself that you're still awake! this is likely to increase your anxiety and frustration, that isn't restful.

If you answered yes to question 7, you're consuming too much caffeine, or your caffeine consumption occurs too close to bedtime. Some people are sensitive to the effects of caffeine for up to twelve hours, so experiment with avoiding caffeine for at least twelve hours before bedtime.

If you answered yes to question 8, you're decreasing your chances of getting a good night's sleep. Nicotine is a stimulant and can keep you awake. At a bare minimum, try to decrease the amount of smoke during the day, and especially at night. If possible, don't smoke for an hour before bedtime.

If you answered yes to question 9, you're exercising too late in the evening. The optimal time for exercise is four to five hours before bedtime. If that doesn't work with your schedule, then exercise even earlier in the day is better than exercising too close to bedtime.

If you answered yes to question 10, you're upsetting your circadian rhythm by stimulating brain with light, which makes it harder for your body to realize that it's dark outside and time to sleep. If you answered no, then continue dim the lights at night as a way of helping your body prepare itself for sleep.

If you answered yes to question 11, you're making the mistake of using alcohol in an attempt to put yourself to sleep. Remember, although alcohol can make you feel sleepy initially, later in the night it disrupts your sleep and can actually cause you to wake up more often.

If you answered yes to question 12 or 13, your erratic sleep schedule could be contributing to your sleep problem. Try going to bed at the same time every night and getting up at the same time each morning, even on weekends.

If you answered yes to question 14, consider what changes you can make in your bedroom to improve your sleep environment. If you see street lights shining into your bedroom from outside, try using darker curtains or shades. If noise is an issue, you may want to experiment with earplugs or a white noise machine. The temperature in your room should also be comfortable for sleeping.

A teen says... "A bunch of my friends think it's very romantic to stay up late. But I would tell other teens not to romanticize or dramatize the night. It's quiet and you can read and think, but then you pay for it the next day."

A High School Swimmer Says..."Last year, whenever I had a swim meet, I was really disappointed in my performance. Even though I was getting up at 5:00 every morning to get in a good practice before school started, I just wasn't doing any better. It took me a while to figure it out-well, actually my coach figured it out. On the nights before meets, and, really, most of the other nights, I was only getting around five hours' sleep. Once I started clocking closer to seven hours I started doing a lot better."

"I follow a regimen. On school nights I always lay out my clothes for the following day, so I can just get up and go. I also try to get up within the same 15- or 20-minute period in the morning. I don't like to use the snooze button because it doesn't go off again for 15 minutes, but sometimes I'll reset the alarm for another five minutes. I also don't like turning on too many lights too fast."

"I keep a pen and paper by the side of my bed. If I think of something I need o do the next day while I'm trying to fall alseep, and start worrying that I won't remember it in the morning. I write it down as a reminder. Once I've got it down, it's off my mind."

Booklet edited by Yukyung Michelle Jung, M.D. Reference:"Snoose...Or Lose!" Helene A. Emsellem, M.D. "The Insomnia Workbook" Stephanie A. Silberman, PH.D., DABSM