Are you a member of the army of the walking tired? If so, you may be experiencing the consequences of sleep deprivation, consequences that can include health, behavioral and performance problems. If you are a member of this group, you are not alone. A recent poll by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) found that one out of four adults in America don’t get even the minimum amount of sleep they need to feel fully alert the next day.

As the nation prepares for the return of Daylight Saving Time, Sunday, April 3, Aurora Health Care and the NSF urge residents of southeastern Wisconsin to sleep in just a little longer on that Sunday morning, instead of losing an hour of sleep.

“It’s important to remember that sleep is a necessity, not a luxury,” maintains Michael Katzoff, M.D, a sleep expert for Aurora Health Care. “You are how you sleep. Nighttime sleep affects your daily life…your mood, your behavior and your performance. This is the perfect time of year to recommit to getting seven to nine hours of uninterrupted sleep every night.”

Dr. Katzoff and the NSF offer the following tips to help adjust to the return to Daylight Saving Time:

• Try to sleep a bit more than usual a few nights prior to and immediately following the time change to help reduce any sleep debt you may be carrying.
• Take a short nap in the afternoon on Sunday if you need it, but not within a few hours of your regular bedtime. Remember, napping too close to bedtime can disrupt nighttime sleep.
• National Sleep Awareness Week (March 28 – April 3, 2005) is also a good time to learn more about sleep problems, particularly how to recognize them in yourself and in family members. Frequent problems sleeping or daytime sleepiness can signal a sleep disorder that usually can be treated.

For more information on sleep medicine, click here.

Aurora Health Care is a not-for-profit Wisconsin health care provider and a nationally recognized leader in efforts to improve the quality of health care. Aurora offers services at sites in 80 communities throughout eastern Wisconsin. Aurora works with the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) year-round to help increase awareness about the importance of sleep and the treatment of sleep disorders.

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Contact:  Jennifer Gross (414-385-2363)