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Many of us spend our days looking for a good night … a good night's sleep. Or at least that's what it looks like. We do not sleep enough, then we start our day with a good cup of coffee. The National Sleep Foundation knows why. His survey of 2018 found that only 10% of respondents put sleep at the top of their daily lives. Only one in three regularly sleeps seven to eight hours.
Dr. Ana Krieger, director of Weill Cornell Medicine's Sleep Medicine Center, says that two generations ago people sleep a lot less. "I think more or less two hours less sleep. We have about 6.9 hours, 6.7 hours. "
Krieger does not believe that the tendency to sleep less is intentional. She says it's a byproduct of our lifestyles becoming more technology-centric. "There have been a lot of changes that have happened because [of] modernization in artificial light, access to information 24/24 and 7/7 just made us feel that we had the right to stay upright because the computer is running. But unfortunately, we do not work like that. The body is not made to be awake 24 hours a day.
TEACH THE GOOD HABITS OF SLEEP – YOUNG BEGINNER
Researchers at the Albert Einstein School of Medicine are looking to find out if educating children about sleep as part of their pre-kindergarten program will help them to be more successful in school. Karen Bonuck, PhD, is the early childhood expert who leads the study, which is funded by the National Institutes of Health.
"Parents receive an hour-long workshop on why their children need to sleep. It goes through the phases of sleep, the benefits of sleep. Teachers learn to deliver a program to children. Then the children learn the program. It's two weeks or four days a week, 40 minutes a day. "
Tania Pennaneach is the director of a three-year clbad at Heads Head, in White Plains, New York State. She says she has clearly seen a difference in children's behavior since the beginning of the program. "The kids get it. I think in less than two weeks, they already know that eight o'clock is bedtime, healthy snacks, that they know the bedtime routine. So when our children are walking here and they have a good night's sleep, you can see how they play. We have a quiet clbadroom.
Twenty-three Head Start programs from the state of New York are participating in this study, which is based on the Sweet Dreamzzz program. "They really are the basis of everything we do. Sweet Dreamzzz is therefore a non-profit organization. These are the only non-profit organizations in the country for sleep health education, designed for young children, "said Bonuck.
Founded in the mid-90s in Detroit, Michigan, Sweet Dreamzzz is aimed primarily at low-income families. Program Director Ann Raftery said the badociation sees her work as a way to reduce the gap in success between rich and poor.
"Give them that length of time by helping them at least sleep, because sleeping is free," said Raftery. "We help reach out to parents where they are and develop strategies with them on certain issues." She hopes the program will not only help children, but will change the way the whole family views sleep.
At a parent seminar at Detroit's Samuel Gompers Elementary School, Raftery explained why it was so important for children to sleep regularly. "So, just as this car driving on the highway has to slow down before it can stop, we have to take our kids busy and busy, and slow them down before they can sleep. D & # 39; agreement "?
She asked the participants if they were able to get the 8 hours of sleep recommended. Jacquelyn Whitely, a mother of two boys, says every day that she sleeps only about four hours a week.
Raftery says the program often advises parents like Whitely on how they could sleep better, even if they are forced into possible shifts. "It's one thing to say: your child should sleep more and here's a routine. No, we need to talk to them and meet them where they are and tell them, "What could work for you if you work as a team and you have to go out and get your kids?"
Whitely works the badembly line of one of Detroit's car manufacturing plants. She says that she draws more from the Sweet Dreamzzz program for herself than for her children. "My children, they are fine. They have their rule saying 8:00 at bedtime. But mine, I do not know the last time I had a good sleep. I do not sleep. I work from 16h to 2h30 in the morning.
LOCAL TRENDS OF SLEEP
In May, the World Health Organization officially recognized burnout as a professional phenomenon under its International Clbadification of Diseases (ICD-11). Many people know the struggle to sleep well while balancing all the responsibilities of life.
One reason that so few Americans sleep for at least eight hours is that they suffer from untreated sleep disorders, including sleep apnea, insomnia, and breathing problems, such as snoring. Drinking alcohol and caffeine too late are also frequent sleep disruptors, to which is added the blue light of electronic devices that tells the body to stay awake.
In the report on improving sleep in 2019 written with the help of Dr. Krieger, the researchers point out that there are regional differences in the sleep quality of the American population. States that systematically report sleep problems are often states with higher rates of obesity. Race and ethnicity as well as access to mental and medical care also play a role in the sleep health of an area.
According to a study by the United Health Foundation, Kentucky ranks among the ten most sleepy states in the world, where adults sleep the least, but rank third. 39.1% of respondents in the state say they do not get enough sleep.
WHY IS SLEEP CRUCIAL?
Only for about seven years have sleep researchers understood why it is so important for us to sleep well. Essentially, during multiple sleep cycles, the brain is systematically cleaned. This process involves the recently discovered glymphatic system.
"We think it's only about eliminating some of the toxins in circulation," Dr. Krieger said. At the same time, the connections established during the day, the memories, the things we learned are sorted and what is no longer needed is cut. "
Not sleeping properly can interrupt this process. "Sleep is an essential function of the body," said Krieger, "because it's such a regulatory system, this sleep process allows us to improve our mood, regulate our metabolism, regulate our emotions. "
Sleep also helps regulate the immune and cardiovascular systems. A lack of sleep can increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, diabetes and even death. This process is really important for the development of children's brains. "The University of Michigan has researched and concluded that our program allows preschoolers to sleep 30 minutes more each night. So it's really important, "said Raftery. "There is a lot of research that shows how this affects the behavior and cognitive abilities of a child."
About 200 of the parents participating in the program participated in a survey – more than two-thirds of them underestimated the amount of sleep they need. These parents badumed that children needed eight hours, just like adults. "Only about 23% knew the correct answer, which is on average [children need] about 12 hours, "said Raftery.
The Stokes family is among the 60,000 people who participate in the program. When Joseph and Renee had their first child, Arhianna, they had no problem getting her to sleep. Their second child, Joey, has autism spectrum disorders, sensory and food sensitivities. For him, bedtime was a struggle.
"Communication has been a major obstacle for a very long time. I'm just trying to teach him to say that I'm tired, "Renee said.
Then their youngest, Lily, was taught the sleep program at school. "I feel that it is strengthened. At school, it's a useful element, "said Renee. "Lily had to take care of a dog that she named, she played with him at school and then we took her to the house and c & # 39; is here and she can put him to bed. "
Soon, Joey wanted to participate in the routine. The paintings and stickers were a real draw. The Stokes say that the night dynamics of their homes have changed completely. Joey and Lily are well rested and behave better, allowing Arhianna to spend time with her parents after falling asleep. And this allows Renée and Joseph to spend more time alone as a couple. "We watched a movie last night!" Said Joseph.
THE FUTURE OF SLEEP
In the end, researchers such as Bonuck would like to see standardization of sleep education in all school programs. Already, she has been working on adding a few chapters on sleep to the latest edition of Caring for Our Children, which provides guidelines for managing early childhood education and care programs. The manual is commissioned by several federal agencies.
It would take a huge societal change to put sleep at the top of most adults' priorities. This is the kind of culture change that is likely to be left in the hands of younger generations if they are taught the importance of sleep from an early age.
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