Sleep in the Spotlight

Over the past several years, two hot topics have emerged, with an impact on health and safety, from issues associated with daytime sleepiness. The first calls for the elimination of Daylight-Saving Time. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine put out a position statement due to the significant public health and safety risks resulting from the misalignment between the circadian biological clock and the light/dark cycle. The second area looks at school start times, specifically for middle and high school students. The American Academy of Pediatrics has identified insufficient sleep in adolescents as an important public health issue that needs to be addressed not only for the health and safety of our students but also for their academic success.

AMERICAN ACADEMY OF SLEEP MEDICINE

“It is the position of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) that the U.S. should eliminate seasonal time changes in favor of a national, fixed, year-round time. Current evidence best supports the adoption of yearround standard time which aligns best with human circadian biology and provides distinct benefits for public health and safety.”

For more information visit aasm.org

AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS

"The American Academy of Pediatrics strongly supports the efforts of school districts to optimize sleep in students and urges high schools and middle schools to aim for start times that allow students the opportunity to achieve optimal levels of sleep (8.5–9.5 hours) and to improve physical (eg, reduced obesity risk) and mental (eg, lower rates of depression) health, safety (eg, drowsy driving crashes), academic performance, and quality of life.”

For more information visit aap.org

*Citations available on healthiersleepmag.com