Rockland Health Officials Name March 2-9 Sleep Awareness Week

The Rockland County Health Department has designated next week as Sleep Awareness Week. 

Less than half of working Americans get enough sleep on work days, according to a 2013 poll by the National Sleep Foundation. Chronic sleep deprivation is a significant global health problem, said Russell Rosenberg, PhD, Director of Research and Investigator at NeuroTrials Research, NSF Immediate Past Chairman and member of the NSF 2013 International Bedroom Poll expert panel.

Here's the full text of the county's press release on Sleep Awareness Week:

We all will lose an hour of sleep this month when we set our clocks ahead one hour for Daylight Saving Time on Sunday, March 9th - but are you losing sleep on other nights as well?  

Most adults need 7-9 hours of sleep each night, although some people can get along with less, while others need more to feel alert the next day.

Pay attention to how you feel - see if you are productive, healthy and happy on seven hours of sleep, or if you need nine hours of sleep to be at your best.  

“Getting enough continuous quality sleep not only contributes to how well we feel and perform the next day, but it also has a large impact on the overall quality of our lives,” said Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert, Rockland County Commissioner of Health.  

Not getting enough sleep: 
• Has been linked to the development and management of a number of chronic diseases and conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and depression. 
• Can negatively affect our ability to do some of the things we do every day, like driving a car. In fact, drowsy driving can be as dangerous, and preventable, as driving while intoxicated.  

Talk to your doctor if you are having sleep problems or regular daytime sleepiness. To help figure out the cause of your sleep problems, it may help to record your sleep patterns and the amount of sleep you get.  

Try the following tips to help you get your sleep: 
• Make sleep a priority (schedule sleep like you do other daily activities) 
• Create a relaxing bedtime routine 
• Keep to a regular bedtime and wake-time, even on the weekends 
• Keep your sleep environment dark, quiet, comfortable and cool 
• Keep "sleep stealers" out of the bedroom (avoid watching TV, using a computer or reading in bed) 
• Avoid caffeine and alcohol products close to bedtime 
• Finish eating at least 2-3 hours before your regular bedtime 
• Exercise regularly 
• Quit smoking - the Health Department’s Put It Out Rockland program can help you with low-cost quit smoking programs (and nicotine replacement products if you are medically eligible). Call (845) 364-2651 or visit www.PutItOutRockland.com.  

For more information visit the National Sleep Foundation website at www.sleepfoundation.org/