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The American Academy of Sleep Medicine announced that it is sponsoring a new writing contest for high school juniors and seniors. The winning student will be recognized at SLEEP 2010 in San Antonio, Texas.
The first-place prize for the 2009 – 2010 AASM High School Topical Review in Sleep Science Contest also includes a $1,000 U.S. savings bond.
To enter, students must write an original topical review paper related to sleep and sleep disorders. They can choose a topic from 12 subject areas. These include sleep deprivation, insomnia, sleep related breathing disorders and drowsy driving. Entrants must be sponsored by their science teacher.
The first-place student and one parent or guardian will receive a three-day/two-night trip to San Antonio, Texas, in June. There they will attend the SLEEP 2010 24th Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC from June 6 to 8, 2010.
Prizes also will be awarded for second place, third place and honorable mention. All award recipients will have their paper posted on the AASM Web site at www.sleepeducation.com. All recognized papers also will be considered for publication in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, the official publication of the AASM and a leading scientific journal in the field of sleep.
A study (# 0312) that will be presented later this morning as a poster found that reports of better sleep across both the weekdays and the weekend appear to be positively associated with educational success.
The study involved 56 students between 14 and 18 years of age. Each of them had complaints of daytime sleepiness and/or insufficient sleep at night.
Although higher sleep quality and sleep efficiency tended to be related to higher overall grades, specific subjects were related to different sleep measures. Higher math scores were related to fewer awakenings, less time in bed, higher sleep efficiency and better sleep quality. Higher English scores were associated with fewer awakenings during the night, and both English and history scores were associated with less difficulty awakening in the morning.
Another study (#0161) presented yesterday reported that being a “night owl” or “evening type” is associated with lower academic performance in college and a decline in academic performance from high school to college.You can download the SLEEP 2009 abstract supplement as an 11 MB file in PDF format.
Two studies being presented as posters later this morning examine the negative impact of late bedtimes on teens.
One study (#1064) suggests that parental-mandated bedtimes could help protect teens from depression and suicidal thoughts by lengthening sleep duration. Results show that adolescents with parental-mandated bedtimes at midnight or later were 25 percent more likely (adjusted odds ratio 1.25) to suffer from depression and 20 percent more likely (adjusted odds ratio 1.20) to have suicidal ideation compared with adolescents who had parental-mandated bedtimes of 10 p.m. or earlier. Multivariate models show that sleep duration may have acted as a mediator of these associations; thus short sleep may be a risk factor for depression and suicidal ideation.
Another study (#0161) shows that being a “night owl” or “evening type” – preferring to go to bed late at night and wake up later in the day – is associated with lower academic performance in college and a decline in academic performance from college to high school. Results indicate that evening types had significantly lower first year college GPA (2.84) than “morning types” and “intermediate types” (3.18). They also slept on average 41 minutes less on school nights. For all students, “sleep hygiene” was related to academic performance.You can download the SLEEP 2009 abstract supplement as an 11 MB file in PDF format.
Research abstracts being presented at SLEEP 2009 are examining how technology affects our sleep.
One study (#1260) being presented later this morning as a poster shows that television viewing is by far the dominant pre-sleep activity, accounting for almost 50 percent of pre-bed time. The authors also published results of their study in the June 1 issue of the journal SLEEP.
Another study (#1271) being presented later this morning as a poster reports that playing video games and computer games can affect sleep. College students who are “excessive” gamers had significantly poorer sleep hygiene and slept less on weekdays than “casual” gamers. Those who claimed to be addicted to gaming slept one hour less on weekdays.
A study (# 0200) being presented this afternoon as an oral presentation shows that many teens stay up too late at night using various technological devices such as a TV, computer, cell phone and MP3 player. Teens who get eight to 10 hours of sleep per night tend to do less technological “multi-tasking” after 9 p.m. The authors also published results of their study in the June issue of the journal Pediatrics. Read a summary of the study on the Sleep Education Blog.You can download the SLEEP 2009 abstract supplement as an 11 MB file in PDF format.
A study (ID# 1118) from Israel that is being presented as an oral presentation this morning at SLEEP 2008 shows that teens may have improved attention and concentration when their school start time is delayed.
The study involved 47 eighth-grade students from two classes. A control group began school at the regular time (7:30 a.m.) each day for two weeks. The experimental group began the schoolday one hour later (8:30 a.m.) during week one and then at the usual time during week two.
During the first week, students in the experimental group woke up an average of 51 minutes later each morning than students in the control group. Bedtime remained the same.
The experimental group performed better than the control group on two cognitive tests that were performed on the fifth day of the first week. They had a better overall attention score on a computerized test and made fewer mistakes on a paper-and-pencil test.
According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, teens need a little more than nine hours of sleep each night to be alert the next day.
The SLEEP 2008 abstract book is available online at http://www.journalsleep.org/PDF/AbstractBook2008.pdf.
Two studies being presented as oral presentation this morning at SLEEP 2008 address the relationship between sleep and suicidal behavior in children.
A study (ID# 0194) of 450 boys and 348 girls examined how children may be affected when a parent has a history of chronic insomnia. The children in the study had an average age of 14.4 years.
Teens with a parental history of chronic insomnia were much more likely to report having suicidal thoughts than teens without a parental history of insomnia (16.7% vs. 5.3%); they also were more likely to have a suicide plan (9.5% vs. 1.5%) and to have attempted suicide (9.5% vs. 1.7%).
Another study (ID# 0180) involved 303 children and teens with bipolar disorder and unipolar disorder during depressive episodes. The children in the study had an average age of 12.8 years.
Results show that 83.8 percent of the children had sleep disturbances. The presence of sleep complaints showed a significant association with suicidal behavior. Children with bipolar disorder were more likely than children with unipolar disorder to report suicidal behaviors with sleep complaints, classified as suicidal thoughts (58% vs. 35.6%), desire to die (58% vs. 31.5%), suicide plans (55.5% vs. 22.3%), and suicide attempt (40.7% vs. 19.8%).The SLEEP 2008 abstract book is available online at http://www.journalsleep.org/PDF/AbstractBook2008.pdf.
A symposium taking place this afternoon at SLEEP 2008 is examining the contributing factors related to drowsy driving. Co-chairs Dr. Naomi Rodgers and Dr. Kenneth Wright Jr., along with a faculty of experts, are presenting the latest information.
According to the U. S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drowsy driving is a cause of at least 100,000 auto crashes each year. These crashes injure an average of 40,000 people and result in more than 1,550 deaths; the NHTSA suggests that the actual numbers are much higher.
Drowsy-driving crashes tend to occur late at night, are likely to be serious, often involve a single vehicle leaving the roadway, and tend to involve a driver who is alone in the vehicle. In addition to veering off the road, drowsy drivers are likely to wander into another lane or steer into oncoming traffic.
Sleep loss is an obvious factor in drowsy driving. Studies show that sleep deprivation impairs drivers in a manner that is comparable to alcohol, causing lapses in attention and slowing critical reaction times.
Other factors such as late or irregular work shifts, poor sleep habits and untreated sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea and narcolepsy can combine to make anyone vulnerable to drowsy driving. Young men in their teens and 20s are more likely to be involved in a drowsy-driving crash.According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, tips to avoid drowsy driving include getting a full night of sleep before a long drive and pulling off the road to take a nap if you begin to feel sleepy.
Research abstracts being presented as oral presentations this afternoon at SLEEP 2008 link sleep problems to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and suicidal symptoms.
In a study of 882 ninth-grade students (ID# 0321), teens reported sleeping an average of 7.6 hours per school night. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, teens need a little more than nine hours of sleep each night.
Getting less sleep on school nights increased students’ risk of having emotional disturbances and ADHD. Every additional hour of sleep on school nights decreased the risk of emotional disturbance by 25 percent and decreased the risk of ADHD by 34 percent.
In another study of 322 undergraduates at a large university (ID# 0958), sleep quality and insomnia severity were significantly associated with an increased risk of depression. Severe insomnia also was a significant predictor of an increased severity of suicidal thoughts. After controlling for depression, sleep quality and insomnia severity jointly predicted an increased severity of suicidal thoughts.The SLEEP 2008 abstract book is available online at http://www.journalsleep.org/PDF/AbstractBook2008.pdf.
A research abstract being presented as a poster presentation today at SLEEP 2008 provides an interesting explanation for why some teens may not be sleeping well: They spend too much time on the cell phone.
The study of 21 teens (ID# 0249) shows that those who have more than 15 calls and/or 15 text messages a day are more likely to sleep poorly than teens who make less than five calls and/or send five text messages a day.
Excessive cell-phone users are more prone to disrupted sleep, restlessness, stress and fatigue. They also have more trouble waking up in the morning and are more tired before mid-day.
One member of the study group had more than 200 text messages per day. Only one of the 21 participants turned the cell phone off at night.
Another abstract presentation (ID# 0226) addresses a common cause of teen sleep loss: early school start times.
Following a 40-minute delay in the school start time from 7:35 a.m. to 8:15 a.m., students’ total sleep time on school nights increased by 33 minutes per night from 7 hours and 2 minutes to 7 hours and 35 minutes. Students went to bed about eight minutes later at night, but they slept in 41 minutes later in the morning, waking up at 6:53 a.m. instead of 6:12 a.m.
More students reported having “no problem” with sleepiness after the schedule change.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that teens get a little more than nine hours of sleep each night to feel alert and well rested during the day.The SLEEP 2008 abstract book is available online at http://www.journalsleep.org/PDF/AbstractBook2008.pdf.
Research abstracts being presented as poster presentations this morning at SLEEP 2008 are describing the link between sleep and school performance.
One study (ID# 0199) found that different sleep variables affect the school performance of students in junior high, high school and college. In junior high, the complaint of restless legs/aching legs is more common in students with a lower grade-point average (GPA). Daytime sleepiness is more likely to affect the performance of high school students. Insomnia has the most negative effect on the GPA of college students.
A related study of adult college students (ID# 0709) found that insomnia complaints are significantly associated with lower GPAs. Students with lower GPAs were more likely to have trouble falling asleep, report waking at night and have trouble going back to sleep.
A study of 824 undergraduate students (ID# 0728) found that students who are “morning types” (preferring to wake up early) are more likely to have better grades than students who are “evening types” (preferring to stay up late).The SLEEP 2008 abstract book is available online at http://www.journalsleep.org/PDF/AbstractBook2008.pdf.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine announced that it is sponsoring a new writing contest for high school juniors and seniors. The winning student will be recognized at SLEEP 2010 in San Antonio, Texas.
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