This week the FDA took a look at sleeping pills and their affect on our system the next day.  The issues is more an an issue with women because our metabolism is slower to process medications and so the effects last longer.

Consider that we also put off when we go to bed and take our sleep pills and shorten our sleep and you can see how medication may have side effects.  If you read the medications it suggests that you have at least 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep.  Many people take their medications around 11pm because that is there bedtime and then get up at 6-7am thinking that is enough time in bed.  The problem is that the medication is still in your system and makes you fatigued.  

Driving while fatigued has been shown to be as dangerous as driving while intoxicated.  With this issue and the number of people taking medication it makes the morning drive time more dangerous. 

If you are going to use prescription sleep aids consider using them carefully.  Make sure you take them early enough.  Taking them at 9-10pm may be a better time.  Consider using sleep hygiene to assist you in going to sleep earlier. 

This week there has been a lot of publicity about the research that associates obesity to children having tonsillectomy surgery. The idea that a child might gain weight because they had their tonsils removed makes me wonder if the right questions were truly asked.  Were the children obese prior to the surgery?  Does the family have a weight issue?  What is the child's diet and exercise like prior to the surgery?  All these can affect the future of the child.

The problem with research is that it is trying to prove an outcome and although the research might prove the question is it truly the reason for the association?  Was the outcome then to say we should not do a tonsillectomy because then the child might have weight issues?  What would be the affect of continuously having sleep apnea?   They are more likely to have learning problems, mood problems, weight problems, long term health issues including diabetes and hypertension.  I believe all these outcomes would be significantly worse.

Maybe the question should be are we teaching wellness care to parents and children?  There is so much information that contradicts each other on the internet; where many parents get their medical advice.  There needs to be more information for them to gather on how to help children sleep.  There needs to be information about bedtime routines and the effect of sunshine and dark as a way to help sleep. 

I will be adding suggestions for sleep routines and ways to help children and parents with their health issues through better sleep.  When we lack sleep we crave more, move less, remember less and are very cranky.  We need to get back to the old fashion forms of wellness that include sleep.