Health Experts: A shut-eye starved child is nothing to sleep on

A good night's sleep is as important to your child as a hearty breakfast. Without enough shut-eye, children are more likely to struggle with their school studies, do poorly on the playing field, and suffer depression.

According to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF), children are getting less than the recommended amount of sleep over a 24-hour period. This can make it tough for your child to solve problems and memorize lessons, which can lower grades and self-esteem.

Sleep-starved kids are also more easily frustrated and fidgety. A child's sleep trouble affects the whole family. Parents who are up coaxing a child to bed are robbed of their own valuable sleep.

The best cure is a consistent bedtime schedule. Stick to a bedtime that permits this amount of nightly sleep:

• 11 to 13 hours for a 3- to 5-year-old child. Preschoolers often have difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep. Children this age also are more likely to have nightmares and sleep terrors, and to sleepwalk.
  
• 10 to 11 hours for a school-aged child. Schoolchildren spend time with TV, computers, and the Internet, all of which can erode time for sleep. This age group also may be drinking caffeinated beverages that can affect the ease of falling asleep at night. Watching TV just before bedtime may make it more difficult to fall asleep and may create resistance or anxiety about bedtime. Too little sleep can lead to mood swings, and behavioral and cognitive problems.
  

If the current bedtime for your child is too late, move it 15 minutes earlier each night, until you reach the desired bedtime. Tuck resisters back into their own beds, promptly and repeatedly, until they get the message that you expect them to get to sleep on their own.

Sound Advice for Sound Sleep

• Unplug : Turn off TVs, computers, and cell phones. Better yet, keep such things out of the bedroom, which should be a stimulation-free zone.
  
• Wind down: Start the transition to sleep with dimmed lights and a warm bath; end with reading a book. Avoid watching TV just before bedtime.
  
• Decaffeinate: Drinking any caffeine during the day can affect sound sleep. Caffeine is found not just in coffee and cola, but also in tea and chocolate.
  
• Decompress: Overbooked kids who rush from band practice to dance class to dinner to homework may be too keyed up at bedtime to unwind. Experts recommend one activity per season.
  
• Get help: If, despite these measures, your child still resists bedtime, has nighttime awakenings, or snores, talk with your doctor.

The sleep experts at Hackensack Meridian Health K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital can help determine if your child has a sleep disorder, or another type of neurological condition. Hackensack Meridian Health K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital offers the region's first pediatric sleep program, backed by research and dedication from our physicians and nurses. Learn more here.

Feeling short-changed on shut eye? You're not alone.

Short-changed on shut eye? You're not alone, as more than 83 million Americans are now reported to be lacking sleep.

While some may be worried about "sleeping their life away," a new study finds that about one-third of Americans have the opposite problem, snoozing less than the recommended seven hours per night.

And while the resulting drowsiness can contribute to accidents, anxiety, depression and lost productivity, the less immediate health effects raise even greater cause for concern.

“Overtime, lack of sleep alters your hormones and metabolism, increasing your risk for diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, and heart disease,” says Jeffrey Miskoff, D.O., a pulmonologist at Jersey Shore University Medical Center.

To find out where you and the sandman stand, try keeping a 10-day sleep journal. Be sure to log when you fall asleep and wake up, and include any naps as well. And don't forget to discuss your sleep habits with your doctor.

In Defense of Mondays

You can't avoid it. You know it's coming - just like it has a thousand times before and will a thousand more.

But do Mondays get a bum rap?

We all know how it feels: You're sluggish. You're irritable. You can't focus...

Wait, don't we know those symptoms from somewhere else?

What if  "the Mondays" aren't a condition, but a symptom themselves?

Here's a hint: When was the last time you were out of bed and out the door by 7 a.m. - on a Sunday?

Who doesn't love staying up, and sleeping in a bit later on weekends? But, according to Meridian Health Director of Sleep Medicine Dr. Carol Ash, maintaining the same bedtime and wake-up time every day - yes, even weekends - helps keep your internal clock balanced and properly wound.

But if you're consistently throwing off your body's internal rhythm when weekends hit, don't be surprised to feel your chains grinding when it's time to shift back into high gear - a.k.a., Monday morning.

So, next time someone at the office complains about "the Mondays," smile and remind them that the world gave us YouTube, the Jackson 5 and Kermit the Frog all on a Monday.

And than invite them over for Sunday coffee - at 6 a.m. sharp.

Join Us in Freehold for a "Mall Walk" and Wellness Discussion Featuring Dr. Carol Ash!

Join us Wednesday, July 22 at Freehold Raceway Mall  for a relaxing morning mall walk, followed by a special discussion with Meridian's own authority on sleep health, Carol Ash, D.O.

Dr. Ash will talk about how making small, gradual adjustments to sleep and lifestyle habits can dramatically improve your long-term health. 

Register by calling  1-800-560-9990.  More information is available here.

For expert sleep advice, here's Dr. Ash on FOX News discussing some of the long-term effects lack of sleep can have on the overall health of adults and teenagers.

Adjusting Your Internal Clock for Daylight Savings Time

As you prepare to "spring ahead" for daylight savings, it's important to adjust your internal clock accordingly.

Watch Dr. Carol Ash on the TODAY show discussing the impact of springing forward on everyday health:

Can't sleep? The answer may be all around you.

Sleep deprivation can be a symptom of numerous health issues, but it's important to remember that the causes of our sleep disruptions aren't always internal.

According to Dr. Carol Ash, the following external factors can affect our sleeping patterns:

• Room temperature
• Jet lag
• Variations in schedule
• Snoring

 Watch Dr. Ash's Weather Channel appearance to learn more about the effects our environment can have on our sleep habits.

Dr. Ash helps answers the question, "Why am I so tired?"

It's a question we've all asked ourselves: "Why am I so tired?"

On a visit to TODAY earlier this year, Dr. Carol Ash and Julie Bain, Health Director for Ladies Home Journal, offered tips to help provide answers to that question.

Both Ash and Bain agreed that mental fatigue and stress can be one of the biggest causes of daytime sleepiness.

"Stress is a good thing; it helps us overcome challenges," Ash said. "But sustained stress can lead to anxiety and depression."

These types of stress can keep you awake at night - and exhausted during the day.

Ash advises, when stress and anxiety are keeping you up, write it down, and then confide with someone you trust during the day.

Watch the full TODAY segment below.