Hello! This month, SLEEPTRACKER is talking about naps. Napping during the day can be an effective remedy for adults who are groggy, stressed or just plain tired. However, a good night’s sleep is still the best way to ensure that you feel energized throughout the day. Use SLEEPTRACKER to track your moments of restlessness throughout the night to see if you are getting a restful sleep – you may discover that you are sleeping poorly, which is leading to that napping need.

The human body naturally desires sleep about eight hours after waking, when a dip in alertness inevitably occurs. When you feel like a nap, make it brief —most experts agree that a 10 to 30 minute nap will produce optimal results without interfering with your nighttime sleep and will benefit your mind and body more than 20 extra minutes of sleep in the morning.

While napping might not make you the next Albert Einstein or Leonardo Da Vinci—both were known for frequent naps — brief Zzzs can be beneficial. Here are some benefits you can anticipate from taking an afternoon snooze:

• Immediate alertness and improved cognitive functioning
• Increased productivity by reducing chances for accidents and mistakes
• Emotional benefits, including an improved mood, feelings of rejuvenation, relaxation and more patience
• Less stress, which lowers the risk for a multitude of other health problems including cardiovascular disease

If you find yourself napping too long or too frequently, try out SLEEPTRACKER. While SLEEPTRACKER is not designed to be used during non-nocturnal sleep, using it during the nighttime will help you to wake more refreshed and possibly decrease your desire to nap due to daytime grogginess.

Children’s lives are full of distractions - television, video games, siblings, etc. From trouble falling asleep to terrors during the night, children can face many sleep problems, causing them to not get a good night’s sleep. If these sleep problems do not resolve themselves quickly, they definitely deserve discussion with the family doctor. Let’s take a look at some of the most common sleep problems children face.

Insomnia

Although many parents believe the common assumption that children “sleep like a baby,” studies suggest that children do suffer from insomnia. In one study of children in pediatricians’ waiting rooms, more than 40 percent were reported by their parents to suffer some form of insomnia: unrefreshing sleep, difficulty falling asleep, trouble staying asleep, or early morning awakenings.

Maintaining good sleep habits by creating a good bedtime routine and setting limits can help children with insomnia. Most experts agree that it is better to let children fall asleep on their own. Children can become used to your presence in the room at bedtime and expect it even when they wake during the night.

Sleep Disordered Breathing

Almost one in five preschoolers and school-age children snore, according to National Sleep Foundation’s (NSF) 2004 Sleep in America poll. Enlarged tonsils or adenoids can cause blockages with make the snoring sound. Snoring can also be a sign of sleep apnea, a more severe sleep disorder. Your child might suffer from sleep apnea if he or she snores regularly or loudly, stops breathing, gasps for breath, or works particularly hard to breathe while sleeping. Children with sleep apnea can stop breathing several times or more an hour.

Children who suffer from sleep apnea are not able to sleep well with all of the distractions. The lack of sleep, or the lack of oxygen during sleep, are suspected to increase risk for daytime learning problems, poor school performance, daytime sleepiness and hyperactivity.

Restless Legs Syndrome

The strange feelings children can have in their legs often called “growing pains,” “tingling,” or “creepy crawlers” can keep them up all night. The uncomfortable feeling in a child’s legs could be a symptom of Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS). This disorder causes discomfort and can compel the child to shift his or her legs, even while trying to fall asleep. Children with symptoms of RLS at least a few times a week sleep an hour less (8.9 hours vs. 9.9 hours) according to NSF’s 2004 Sleep in America poll. They are also twice as likely to wake up during the night (40 percent vs. 21 percent) as children with no RLS symptoms.

Restless Legs Syndrome may run in the family or be due to an iron deficiency, though the cause of the disorder is unknown. Treatment of the disorder is not well established, but it deserves a discussion with a pediatrician or sleep specialist.

Nightmares and Sleep Terrors

Occasional nightmares are usually a normal part of development and may be a reaction to change, stress, or a scary event. Talking about a dream with your child and making sure he or she is getting sufficient sleep can be helpful.

Sleep terrors usually occur earlier in the night than nightmares and do not fully awaken the child. Unlike nightmares, night terrors lead to uncontrollable screaming for several minutes even while you try to comfort them. After the terror, the child may fall back asleep and have no memory of the event when he or she wakes up in the morning. An irregular sleep schedule, lack of sleep, or stress may promote sleep terrors in some children.

Sleep Walking and Sleep Talking

More than one in ten preschool and school-age children talk in their sleep at least a few nights a week (11percent and 12 percent respectively), according to the same NSF poll. Talking, laughing, or crying during sleep is usually not considered a problem. Sleepwalking is most common with children between the ages of three and seven. It usually occurs very early in the night and requires a little help on the part of the parent(s). Make sure your house is safe for your child’s wanderings. Guide the sleepwalker back to his or her bed. During a sleepwalking episode you may not be able to wake him or her up fully. Sleepwalking can run in the family, but sometimes suggests the presence of other problems, such as sleep apnea.

Bed Wetting

Fourteen percent of preschoolers and four percent of school-aged children wet the bed at least a few nights a week. Bed wetting, also known as enuresis, is more prevalent in boys. It is not considered abnormal during preschool ages, but later on may suggest another sleep disorder or late development of the ability to wake-up when the bladder is full.

Children should avoid drinking a lot at night, particularly caffeinated beverages, and should go to the bathroom right before bedtime. Parents should reward dry nights, rather than punish wet nights. You should help your child by lessening the embarrassment he or she might already feel for something that cannot be controlled. By adolescence, your child should be free of the problem.

About the Expert:
Lee Loree is the inventor and developer of SLEEPTRACKER, an innovative watch device that monitors your sleep patterns throughout the night and continuously looks for the optimum moment to wake you up – waking you refreshed from a light sleep stage. www.sleeptracker.com

Don’t Be Deprived of Your Sleep

It is as essential to us as air, food and water, but few people set aside the right amount of time each day for sleep – the thing on which our well-being and health depends.

If we are able to get enough quality sleep, we are left feeling rejuvenated and ready to take on the day. On the other hand, if we don’t get enough sleep, many aspects of our lives are affected, including our work and relationships.

A Lack of Sleep

According to the 2002 National Sleep Foundation (NSF) Sleep in America poll, 74 percent of American adults are experiencing a sleeping problem a few nights a week or more, 39 percent get less than seven hours of sleep each weeknight, and more than one in three (37 percent) are so sleepy during the day that it interferes with daily activities.

Through the years we have reduced our average hours in sleep, but our bodies and minds have not adjusted. We are depriving ourselves from very important sleep, and our bodies are paying the price for it.

Sleep Requirements

Getting enough continuous quality sleep is essential to our well-being. It refers to the amount of sleep needed to not feel sleepy the next day. If you feel sleepiness is affecting your daily activities, you probably need more of it.

Sleep experts recommend that 7-9 hours of sleep per night are needed, but this can vary from person to person. Sleep requirements change over our lifespan. This chart illustrates the recommended sleep time for different life stages:



Although the sleep times change over the life cycle, the need for sleep remains constant.

Sleep Related Statistics

Planning your day so you allow enough time to get enough quality sleep is necessary. According to the 2002 poll, over 80 percent of American adults believe that not getting enough sleep leads to poor performance at work, risk for injury and poor health, and difficulty getting along with others.

This does not even mention the fact that many people become irritable due to lack of sleep, resulting in serious consequences. Problems completing a task, concentrating, making decisions and unsafe actions have also been seen in some studies.

Just as compelling are the serious consequences of sleep deprivation that lead to approximately 100,000 sleep-related vehicle crashes each year and result in 1,500 deaths.

Whatever the significance lack of sleep is on your life, sleep is essential and should be made a priority in everyone’s day.

Sleeping and Dreaming

For centuries, scientists, philosophers and psychologists have wondered how sleep and dreams affect us. Why or how we dream has forever been a question that many have asked, but few answers have followed.

Some scientists attribute our emotional arousal and other events to the frequency and intensity of our dreams, but can we really be sure?

What Do My Dreams Mean?

Dreams have always had a tremendous affect on people’s lives. From guiding the political, social and everyday decisions of ancient civilizations, to the Greek philosophers who attributed them to natural sources, dreams are as perplexing as any other phenomenon.

Sigmund Freud promoted the idea that dreams gave us access to our unconscious repressed conflicts. Another psychoanalyst, Alfred Adler, believed another idea - that dreams reflect our current lifestyle and offer solutions to contemporary problems.

These and many other theories have arisen over the years, but none have had such a tremendous affect on dream research as a discovery made in the mid-1900s.

What is REM Sleep?

In 1953 Eugene Aserinsky and Nathaniel Kleitman came upon the idea of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and its connection with an increased frequency in dreaming.

It is known now that REM sleep leads to a better waking experience and it is also the time when our most vivid dreaming occurs.

Some scientists have even suggested that we spend more than two hours a night dreaming. Vivid dreams usually occur during the REM stage for most people, while less vivid dreams occur at other times of the night.

Whatever the case, dreams are a strange phenomenon that still remain a scientific mystery.

Caffeine Consumption

The use of Caffeine (coffee, tea, soda, chocolate) are just a few ways people keep from falling asleep during the day. Whether we consume caffeine in the morning to wake up easier or in the afternoon to fight off our mid-day energy slump – Americans are increasingly devouring this stimulant.

How Does Caffeine Effect Me?

You hear people talk about getting a buzz from caffeine. This is because the stimulant actually blocks sleep-inducing chemicals in the brain and increases adrenaline production. Unlike certain vitamins and minerals, the body does not need caffeine – but consuming a moderate amount is not associated with any health risks.

How much caffeine do you consume, and what is considered a moderate amount? Most health experts agree that moderate caffeine consumption is defined as 250 milligrams per day – or three 8 oz. cups of coffee. Six or more cups is considered excessive and could be sign of caffeine dependence.

Most people report feeling the effects of caffeine about 15 minutes after consumption. Once caffeine enters the body, it remains for quite a long time – and can take up to six hours for just half of the amount consumed to leave the body.

Sleep Problems

Caffeine addiction can lead to sleep abuse and sleep problems. If you suspect someone you know is taking in an excessive amount of caffeine, eliminate consumption and look for signs of withdrawal – like reports of fatigue and headaches.