2005 Press Releases

Saint Barnabas Medical Center Encourages Families To Make Sleep a Priority for a Merrier Holiday Season

Livingston, N.J. -- With work parties, school plays, family commitments and shopping trips, many parents and their children find themselves running on overload during the holiday season, leaving little time for sleep. As people across the country prepare to celebrate the holidays, The Pediatric Specialty Center at Saint Barnabas Medical Center and the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) are sending out an important reminder -- sleep deprivation can take the fun out these festive gatherings, whereas getting adequate sleep will help make holidays merrier for every member of your family.

“Parents and their children are happier after a good night’s sleep,” says Barry A. Cohen, M.D., pediatric and adolescent sleep expert at Saint Barnabas Medical Center. “Trying to fit in so many activities around the holidays can interfere with sleep for people of all ages. The excitement and stress of the holidays may mean that children and their parents have difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep.”

Even without the holiday activities, a recent National Sleep Foundation/Pampers® Baby-Dry™ survey found that many infants, toddlers and their parents don’t get the amount of sleep the experts recommend. Sixty-four percent of infants and toddlers experience a sleep problem that interferes with them sleeping through the night or results in daytime sleepiness at least a few days a week, according to the survey. When children wake during the night, the sleep of their parents, and even other family members, is directly affected. 

“During a busy holiday season when children continuously do not get enough sleep, it should come as no surprise that they get crankier and more irritable as the days go by,” says Dr. Cohen. He suggests trying to maintain usual bed times for the entire family to make the holidays merrier.

Saint Barnabas and NSF make the following recommendations for parents and caregivers to recognize the importance of sleep during this holiday season and throughout the year:

• Make sufficient sleep a family priority. Understanding the importance of getting enough sleep and how sleep affects the overall health of parents and children is the first step towards making sleep a family priority. 
• Embrace good sleep habits. Regular bedtime routines, creating a quiet and comfortable bedroom, and adhering to appropriate bedtime and wake times can go a long way to better sleep. Televisions and computers need to be out of the bedroom and caffeine should not be part of a child's diet.
• Know when to limit activities. Parents/caregivers need to determine the amount of sleep each family member needs and take steps to ensure their individual needs are met. Every family member must make a good night’s sleep a regular part of his/her daily schedule and that includes around the holidays.

Parents are also reminded that if your child experiences difficulty falling asleep, nighttime awakenings, snoring or has trouble breathing, they should discuss these problems with their child’s doctor. Most sleep problems are easily treated. For more information, please call The Pediatric Specialty Center at Saint Barnabas Medical Center
at 973-322-7673.

DECEMBER 5, 2005

CONTACT: PUBLIC RELATIONS (973) 322-9904

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