Are Holidays Interfering With Your Sleep?

DANBURY — 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, Danbury Hospital and the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) are 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,” said David Oelberg, MD, medical director of the Danbury Hospital Sleep Disorders Center. “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.”

Even without the holiday activities, a recent National Sleep Foundation/Pampers Baby-Dry survey found that many infants, toddlers, and their parents do not get the amount of sleep the experts recommend. Sixty-four percent of infants and toddlers experience a sleep problem that interferes with them sleeping through the night or results in daytime sleepiness at least a few days a week, according to the survey. When children wake during the night, the sleep of their parents, and even other family members, is directly affected.

About one-third of the parents surveyed said their child’s sleeping pattern disrupts the sleep of the rest of the family, with one quarter reporting this occurs at least a few nights a week. The NSF/Pampers survey also found that about two-thirds of parents of infants and toddlers are awakened by their child at least once during the week, losing an average of 34 minutes of sleep a night — more than 200 hours a year.

“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, associate director of the Sleep Center at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and an NSF director. Dr Mindell is the co-author, with Dr Judy Owens, of the new book Take Charge of Your Child’s Sleep.

“Try to maintain usual bed times for the entire family to make the holidays merrier,” added Dr Oelberg.

Danbury Hospital’s Sleep Disorders Center offers 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 toward 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.

The Sleep Disorders Center at Danbury Hospital 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.

The Sleep Disorders Center at Danbury Hospital works with the National Sleep Foundation as a Community Sleep Awareness Partner, to educate people in western Connecticut and nearby New York about the importance of sleep and the treatment of sleep disorders. Accredited by the American Sleep Disorders Association since 1995, the center offers comprehensive testing and treatment to identify the primary problem and restore restful sleep and daytime alertness. The center recently expanded to five “bedrooms” for day and overnight sleep studies. For information call 731-8088 or visit danburyhospital.org.

The National Sleep Foundation is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to improving pubic health and safety by achieving understanding of sleep and sleep disorders, and by supporting sleep-related education, research, and advocacy. For more information about sleep related issues, visit www.sleepfoundation.org.