by Tripp Underwood on February 22, 2012
There’s a general consensus among the medical community that many young people aren’t getting enough sleep these days. And with high tech distractions like TV, video games and the Internet competing for their late night attention, it’s no wonder that today’s children aren’t getting as much rest as they should.
But is there really such a thing as the perfect amount of sleep for young people? And is this current lack of sleep really a new problem, the byproduct of our kids’ fascination with Xbox, Facebook and the like? According to a new study in the journal Pediatrics, the answer is no on all accounts. Full story »
by Tripp Underwood on October 6, 2011
Like toothpaste and orange juice, teenagers and 6 a.m. usually make for a bad morning combination. Between the threats of missed buses to the walking dead shuffle from the bedroom to the bathroom, mornings can seem like a nightmare for many households with teens. But with so many sleep-deprived teenagers staying awake until all hours of the night, this dreaded morning ritual comes as no surprise to most parents.
If your teenager is constantly staying up too late and is hard to mobilize in the morning, at least you’re not alone. A new study from the Centers for Disease Control indicates that two third of American teens aren’t getting enough sleep. This may not surprise many parents, but the study’s real take home message is that researchers are now linking sleep deprivation to something far more troubling than morning crankiness: Teens who get less than eight hours of sleep a night may be more likely to drink, use drugs, indulge in inappropriate sexual behavior, be depressed and lead an unhealthy, sedentary lifestyle. Full story »
by Melissa Jeltsen on May 19, 2010
Eliminating wheat and dairy from a child with autism’s diet is a popular alternative therapy.
Families with kids with autism hear the stories. Someone’s child started stringing words together again, another could sleep through the night in peace. They are the holy grails in the autism world–therapies that, at least anecdotally, have improved lives of children with autism. And for families faced with few effective treatments, other than early behavioral intervention, they are often worth a shot.
One popular alternative treatment is a gluten-free/casein-free diet, known as the GFCF diet, where all gluten (a protein found in the seeds of several grains such as barley, rye and wheat) and casein (a protein found in dairy products) is eliminated. But recent evidence from the most controlled diet research in autism to date suggests that the GFCF diet doesn’t actually help. The University of Rochester study found that, for the 14 children monitored, a GFCF diet didn’t result in a change in sleep habits, bowel habits, activity or core symptoms of autism.
Leonard Rappaport, MD, MS, chief of Children’s Division of Developmental Medicine, says he’s been eagerly anticipating the results of this study. Even though he didn’t believe that the GFCF diet worked, he was still saddened by the study’s conclusion. “I was hoping I was wrong,” he says. Full story »
by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on March 8, 2010
by Dennis Rosen, MD – Associate Medical Director of Children’s Sleep Laboratory
A lot of research has been done about how not getting enough sleep affect someone’s ability to function. Whether this is shown in how someone performs on tests measuring cognitive abilities, behavior or even behind the wheel of a driving simulator (and responding worse than some whose blood alcohol levels exceed the legal limit), the results all support the premise that getting enough sleep is crucial if someone wants to achieve their full potential. Full story »
by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on March 6, 2010
by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on January 17, 2010
by Kristin Cantu on January 12, 2010
by Kristin Cantu on January 10, 2010
Other stories we’ve been reading:
If your answer is no,there are two studies published this week to encourage more rest for your kids.
