Avoid the Time-Change Blues With Tips From Sleep Expert

Texas Children's Hospital Health Notes

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HOUSTON, Oct. 20, 1998 -- "Ten more minutes!" It's a phrase parents often hear from children postponing the inevitable -- bedtime. Besides the routine challenge parents face in the bedtime struggle, the October 25 time change can make it harder for children to sleep well, and can affect their performance at school, according to Dr. Daniel Glaze, neurophysiologist at the Texas Children's Hospital Sleep Lab.

"Sleep-deficient children do not often complain of being sleepy. They show their sleep problem with poor school performance, attention problems, mood changes or changes in their behavior. When these problems happen, parents should consider that their children are not getting the sleep they need," said the Texas Children's neurophysiologist.

To settle into the "new" time, the neurophysiologists at the Texas Children's Hospital Sleep Lab recommend these tips:

1. Maintain your child's regular bedtime and wake-up time. 2. Being in a well-lit room before bedtime may help. Ceiling light, eye- level light and sunlight work equally well -- light helps "reset" the body's inner clock. 3. Wind your child down with a period of quiet before bedtime, such as reading a story. 4. Refrain from serving chocolate, tea, or sodas containing caffeine past the afternoon. "Have patience," stresses Dr. Glaze. "Your child should adjust within a few days."

Texas Children's Hospital in Houston is a 456-licensed bed, non-profit pediatric specialty hospital, the largest children's hospital in the United States. Founded in 1954, Texas Children's has trained nearly 80 percent of all Texas pediatricians as the primary pediatric teaching and research hospital for Baylor College of Medicine, one of the top 20 U.S. medical schools in research funding.

Within its spectrum of more than 40 pediatric specialties and subspecialties, Texas Children's is known worldwide for developing breakthrough treatments in all areas of children's health care, including childhood cancer, cardiology, neonatology, asthma, diabetes, organ transplantation and gene therapy. More than 3300 physicians, medical and professional personnel care for patients and their families at Texas Children's Hospital, located in the heart of Houston's world-renowned Texas Medical Center.

CONTACT: http://www.txchildrens.org