ANCSLEEP BLOG

How Much Sleep Should Children Have

Children, ages 0-17, need a lot more sleep than adults. The recommended amount of sleep for children varies with age. Here are some ranges that you will commonly see for nighttime sleep recommendations [NHS]:

• 1-5 years: 11-12 hours of sleep per night
• 6-9 years: 10-11 hours of sleep per night
• 10-17 years: 9-10 hours of sleep per night

Of course, we are all individuals and your child may need a bit more or less sleep than indicated above. Also, naptime is important for babies and toddlers in addition to the above recommendations for nighttime sleep.

If sleep is being sacrificed on a consistent basis, it's likely that individual is suffering from weariness and reduced alertness. Extreme fatigue may also lead to irritability, depression, headaches, loss of appetite, and the development of more serious health issues. However, many don't speculate that their lack of sleep may be causing low testosterone. In fact, new studies show that poor sleep may be directly linked to lowered levels of testosterone in men.

In a study by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, losing sleep can impact testosterone in as little as one week. Like with many simultaneously occurring conditions, there is a comorbidity that exists between fatigue and hormone levels. There is little doubt, however, that sacrificing sleep has the ability to cause a drop in testosterone levels.

Should You Travel With Your CPAP Device?

Traveling is often a hassle, and your CPAP device takes up a lot of space. Additionally, people with CPAP devices may wonder if they even can even travel with their CPAP device. Because of this, people with sleep apnea can be a bit...neglectful in being diligent about traveling with their CPAP device. Nonetheless, it remains important to wear your CPAP every night.

So, can you travel with your CPAP device? Yes. Should you travel with your CPAP device? Most definitely. Here's some useful information to know about traveling with your CPAP device.

What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a condition where your breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep. There are three types of sleep apnea:

1. Obstructive sleep apnea
2. Central sleep apnea
3. Complex sleep apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea is when the upper airway becomes blocked during sleep. This blockage greatly reduces or completely stops airflow, and is usually accompanied by loud snoring.

Central sleep apnea is a type of sleep apnea that happens when the brain does not send signals needed to breathe during sleep. This type of sleep apnea is not accompanied by snoring. Sometimes, a person can have both obstructive and central sleep apnea, which is called (3) complex sleep apnea syndrome.

Obstructive sleep apnea is far more common than the other types. Continue reading to learn how OSA  can affect mood.

Shift Work and Sleep

A shift worker is anyone whose work schedule does not follow the typical 9-5 business day. The most typical example of this are businesses that operate 24 hours per day. This is increasingly common as modern demands and competition push businesses production and customer service. Millions of Americans are working non-traditional hours (about one-fifth of the US population [1]) – are you?

The most common risk of shift work are persistent sleep problems, generally resulting in either excessive sleepiness and/or nighttime sleep interruptions [2]. Only 63% of shift workers report that their work schedule allows them to get enough sleep (compared to 89% for non-shift workers) [3]. If you are a shift worker, are you getting enough sleep?

Who Suffers from Jet Lag Most?

Anyone who has traveled has dealt with jet lag. Some people cope with jet lag better than others. Some people seem to suffer from jet lag only when traveling in one direction – it’s not a problem going to a destination, but it’s a significant problem after going home.

So – who’s at risk for suffering from jet lag? Not surprisingly, people with existing sleep disorders tend to have the biggest problem with jet lag. These disorders include:

• Insomnia
• Sleep apnea
• Restless leg syndrome

The reasons people with sleep disorders are particularly at risk for jet lag is because beating jet lag is largely about:

• Having a flexible sleep schedule
• Being able to get a good night’s rest before traveling
• Being able to get a good night’s rest after traveling

If you have a sleep disorder, you know how dreamy it sounds to be able to get a good night’s rest and have a flexible sleep schedule with little to no effort. As it stands, sleep disorders have a way of making sleep a particular fragile, hard-won effort.  Here are how people with sleep disorders can beat jet lag.

Are you a night owl and your spouse is an early bird? Or, perhaps, are you the early bird and your significant other falls asleep as the sun is rising?

Many couples face the struggle of going to bed and waking at different times. In some cases, bed partners' agendas only differ by minutes. In more extreme situations, couples' waking and sleeping patterns may be completely flip-flopped.

Roughly 70% of adults living in the United States report that they share a bed with another person. Of that 70%, about 25% rise early while another 25% tend to sleep in. (The other 50% fall somewhere in between.) As these statistics show, a large number of individuals who bed share experience differences in sleep routines.

Those who know little about sleep apnea oftentimes don't know how exactly it relates to changes in blood pressure. However, sleep apnea can cause a significant and sometimes dangerous increase in blood pressure.

Sleep apnea is defined by the National Sleep Foundation as "a sleep disorder in which breathing is briefly and repeatedly interrupted during sleep." Blood pressure is technically defined as the strength of one's blood pushing against the sides of blood vessels (also known as one's systolic blood pressure).

If an individual has untreated sleep apnea, there is a much greater chance that he or she may develop high blood pressure. Both sleep apnea and high blood pressure can lead to the development of life-threatening conditions.

More and more research is being released indicating a connection between sleep apnea and diabetes. Specifically, obstructive sleep apnea (also known as OSA and defined as when the muscles in the throat relax and block the airway during sleep) has been proven time and time again to play a direct part in causing insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, and type 2 diabetes. Individuals who are diagnosed with or may have obstructive sleep apnea are therefore at risk for developing both symptoms of OSA in addition to a long-term metabolic disorder.