Back-to-School Sleep Loss Can Lead to Unnecessary Stress
Back-to-School Sleep Loss Can Lead to Unnecessary Stress
(Richmond, VA) – American families face a period of significant transition each year in August, as they transition from a summer sleep schedule to a school schedule. Not only are summer vacations coming to an end for elementary and high school students, millions of families are preparing to send students to college for the first time. The stresses associated with the experience can have an impact on quality of life, and it can be difficult to transition. A leading sleep tips website is offering some sleep advice to help families cope with the change.
“There’s no doubt about it, this is a season of major adjustment for many families,” said Dan Schecter, vice president of consumer products at Carpenter Co. and creator of SleepBetter.org. “After a period of vacations at the beach, trips to see relatives and lots of staying up late at night, it’s time to try to re-establish family sleep routines.”
Schecter says getting back into a normal and healthy pattern before the school year starts is critical. Continuing to stay up late while getting up early for school can lead to sleep deprivation, which studies have shown can cause inattentiveness’, irritability, lack of judgment, poor memory, anxiety, and even depression.
Here are some more back-to-school tips from SleepBetter.org:
- Work before school starts to ease back into the routine of getting up early. Get up a little earlier each morning, until you reach the time when you’ll get up for school.
- Try to find regular times for going to bed and getting up in the morning and stick to the routine, even on weekends.
- Listen to your body! When it’s tired, go to bed!
- Kids and adults should stop playing stimulating video games well before bedtime.
- Try to create a good sleep environment (yes, this can be a challenge in a freshman dormitory!)
- Avoid the temptation of late-night pizza (another major challenge at college!)
- Make sure your bedding is clean and fresh. As junior heads off to college, maybe it’s time for him to give up the cartoon sheets and pillows he’s been using since 5th grade.
For more tips to help you sleep better, please visit http://sleepbetter.org. You can also get sleep advice from SleepBetter on Twitter and Facebook.
About Carpenter Co. / SleepBetter.org
SleepBetter.org is dedicated to helping people sleep better. Designed as an online resource, the web site creates a forum for visitors to define, discuss, and discover solutions to their particular sleep needs. SleepBetter.org’s quest is to continually gather pertinent sleep information, then share this knowledge with the general public. The site also shares tips on the best sleep related products, both in stores and online. SleepBetter.org has created the Sleep Better seal as a way to easily identify products recommended for their superior quality or scientifically based design. Created by Carpenter Co., the world’s largest producer of comfort cushioning products, SleepBetter.org provides information and advice that visitors can use to sleep better. For more information, please visit http://SleepBetter.org.
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Fight SMA Launches Gene Therapy Fundraising Campaign: “Realizing the Dream”
FightSMA Launches Gene Therapy Fundraising Campaign: “Realizing the Dream”
Gwendolyn Strong Foundation Is Campaign Partner
RICHMOND, VA – Richmond-based Fight SMA announced today a new fundraising campaign for SMA gene therapy, “Realizing the Dream.” FightSMA is collaborating with the Santa Barbara –based Gwendolyn Strong Foundation, to form a bi-coastal partnership with a common goal: to bring SMA gene therapy to clinical trial.
“Ten years ago, it would have been unheard of to say scientists were approaching a treatment or cure for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA),” said FightSMA President Martha Slay. “Today, the dream is being realized in some of the most prestigious labs across the country. Never before has there been such promise for SMA gene therapy.”
Beginning now and for the next three years, families and groups in the SMA community will raise funds to build a safe foundation, deliver genes to an SMA model, and produce adequate vector (gene delivery) supply. These efforts will support Dr. Brian Kaspar of Nationwide Children’s Hospital and The Ohio State University and other collaborating scientists.
FightSMA, working with the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation, a funding source for critical SMA science and awareness initiatives, invites the SMA community to make a decade-old dream come true. “Our SMA gene therapy program at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and the Ohio State University continues to show great promise for treating SMA patients,” said Dr. Kaspar.
FightSMA’s objective for the balance of 2010 is to complete funding for Phase One, and for Year-One of Phase-Two of the research program.
“The first objective is to build a solid foundation of safety and to eliminate toxicity,” said Dr. Chris Lorson, FightSMA Science Director.”
Additionally, FightSMA plans to raise another $250,000 to fund the first year of Phase Two (Delivery & Efficacy). The “Realizing the Dream” program will be accomplished through a series of campaigns. Completing these two Phases will bring SMA gene therapy significantly closer to clinical trial.
FightSMA has been instrumental in helping to develop a gene therapy strategy to cure spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), including oligonucleotides and gene replacement vectors. The strides that SMA researchers have made in the gene therapy arena have provided insights into a range of genetic disorders, including other neurodegenerative disease (ALS/Lou Gehrig’s disease, myotonic dystrophy, Huntington disease) and other diseases such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
For more information on the FightSMA – Gwendolyn Strong Foundation partnership and “Realizing the Dream” campaign, visit www.fighsma.org or call 804-515-0080.
FightSMA was created to strategically accelerate the search for a treatment and cure for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), the number-one inherited cause of infant death. The organization pursues this objective by raising awareness and funding for SMA research.
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Summertime in a Weak Economy: How to Sleep Better
Summertime in a Weak Economy: How to Sleep Better
(Richmond, VA) – With its extra-long days, heat and humidity, summertime always represents a challenge for getting a good night’s sleep. With many Americans cutting back on air conditioning as a way to save money, the quest for good sleep is even more difficult. A leading sleep advice website is offering assistance, however, with tips to help people cope with the seasonal strain.
“Longer days and heat in the summer can really have a profound effect on our sleep patterns,” said Dan Schecter, vice president of consumer products at Carpenter Co., and creator of SleepBetter.org. “If possible, work to keep your house dark and sheltered from the worst of the heat and sunshine of the day. Keep your home as cool as possible during the day with shades and blinds, especially if you want to avoid high air-conditioning bills.”
Schecter says the ideal sleeping temperature is 68–72 degrees Fahrenheit, which can be a challenge to achieve in the summertime. A ceiling fan in the bedroom can be a major help: the swooshing sound and cool breeze can help provide a favorable environment for good night’s rest.
Here are some more summer sleep tips from SleepBetter.org:
- Avoid hot, heavy meals at dinnertime. A rich dinner can come back to haunt you in the middle of the night, especially in the summer.
- Make sure your bed clothes are made up of cool, lightweight and breathable fabrics. Your sheets, blankets and pillows can make a major difference in your summer comfort.
- Take a cool bath or shower before bedtime.
- Don’t make major changes in your regular routine, even during summer break. Staying up late, sleeping in and extra long naps can interfere with your normal sleep patterns.
- If you have long hair, put it up in a ponytail or bun on the top of your head so it isn’t covering your neck and shoulders.
- In extraordinarily hot periods, look for the coolest room in your house to sleep. During a heat wave, don’t be reluctant to have a “family campout” in the basement.
For more tips to help you sleep better, please visit http://sleepbetter.org. You can also get sleep advice from SleepBetter on Twitter and Facebook.
About Carpenter Co. / SleepBetter.org
SleepBetter.org is dedicated to helping people sleep better. Designed as an online resource, the web site creates a forum for visitors to define, discuss, and discover solutions to their particular sleep needs. SleepBetter.org’s quest is to continually gather pertinent sleep information, then share this knowledge with the general public. The site also shares tips on the best sleep related products, both in stores and online. SleepBetter.org has created the Sleep Better seal as a way to easily identify products recommended for their superior quality or scientifically based design. Created by Carpenter Co., the world’s largest producer of comfort cushioning products, SleepBetter.org provides information and advice that visitors can use to sleep better. For more information, please visit http://SleepBetter.org.
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Sheltering Arms South Awarded Prestigious Accreditation for Stroke Care
Sheltering Arms South Awarded Prestigious Accreditation for Stroke Care
(Richmond, Va.) – Sheltering Arms Hospital South, located at St. Francis Medical Center in Chesterfield, Virginia, has received an honor that reinforces the high level of care its Inpatient Rehabilitation teams give to patients every day. The hospital received a ‘Disease-Specific Care Certification’ in Stroke Rehabilitation through The Joint Commission.
The certification and Gold Seal of Approval™ from The Joint Commission means that Sheltering Arms’ Stroke Rehabilitation program complies with the highest national standards for safety and quality of care. The Joint Commission accredits and certifies health care organizations and programs throughout the United States. Joint Commission accreditation and certification is recognized nationwide as a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to meeting certain performance standards.
“We’re thrilled with this honor, and I would like to thank our physicians, nurses and therapists for their hard work, leadership and high level of clinical competence which made this possible,” said Sheltering Arms CEO James Sok.
Stroke survivors often face complex problems and challenges that are as varied as each individual person. Accordingly, a stroke rehabilitation program must be broad and sophisticated to assist each patient toward maximal progress and recovery. Sheltering Arms offers a full range of services to help stroke survivors and their family members at its two hospitals and seven outpatient clinics, utilizing personal care and technologies as BIONess and SaeboFlex.
About Sheltering Arms
Sheltering Arms helps patients find the Power to Overcome the obstacles of illness and injury with a complete range of physical rehabilitation and wellness services. To learn more about Sheltering Arms’ two hospitals and seven outpatient clinics, visit http www.ShelteringArms.com, call 1-877-56-REHAB, or connect with Sheltering Arms on Facebook or Twitter.
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Sleep Tips Web Site SleepBetter.org Expands The Bedtime Stories Project
Sleep Tips Web Site SleepBetter.org Expands The Bedtime Stories Project
Pillow Giveaway Added for Selected Bedtime Story Submissions
(Richmond, VA) – SleepBetter.org, the web’s premier source for news, tips, and information on how to sleep better, announced today that it is expanding its program to teach parents how to help their children settle down for a good night’s sleep. The Bedtime Stories Project launched in May and includes a partnership with movie and TV star Betty White. It’s an effort to revive the practice of incorporating bedtime stories into a healthy sleep routine.
The Bedtime Stories Project is designed to show the value of using a bedtime tale to help children calm down before “lights out.” A survey conducted by SleepBetter found that families overwhelmingly prefer stories they create for their own enjoyment. The Bedtime Stories Project is collecting original bedtime tales by its site visitors as a way to showcase their creativity and encourage families to continue creating them.
“We’re concerned that bedtime stories are being replaced by television and video games,” said Dan Schecter, vice president of consumer products at Carpenter Co., and creator of SleepBetter.org. “A well-rested child is healthier, happier, and performs better in school, and bedtime stories have an almost magical power to help them end their day and drift off to sleep.”
SleepBetter.org visitors have submitted 100 stories to the project, and that number is still growing. Because of this outstanding response, SleepBetter is adding more rewards for the authors. One reward already included in the project is an illustration by internationally-known artist Bill Nelson. Nelson has illustrated covers for Time, Newsweek, Atlantic Monthly, and TV Guide. He also created the beautiful illustrations for the Sleepy Tales Book found on SleepBetter.org. The author of a story submission chosen by SleepBetter will receive a hand-drawn and colored illustration of his or her story by Nelson.
In addition to these two rewards, SleepBetter has decided to award prizes to four runners-up. The authors of each of these stories will receive a SleepBetter pillow by Carpenter Co., the world’s largest producer of comfort cushioning products. Carpenter Co. bedding products can be found at a variety of retailers, including JCPenney and Bed Bath & Beyond. For more information, please visit http://carpenter.com.
The deadline for submissions to The Bedtime Stories Project is June 30. The five finalists will be announced in early July.
One author who submitted her story to The Bedtime Stories Project has already been rewarded. The story Cotton Candy and the Big Mouth Frog, written by Bonnie Cox Harrison of Virginia, was chosen to be read at an event in late May by Betty White. Video and images from the event can be found at The Bedtime Stories Project web site.
For more information on The Bedtime Stories Project, and to submit a story, please visit http://sleepbetter.org/bedtimestories
About Carpenter Co. / SleepBetter.org
SleepBetter.org is dedicated to helping people sleep better. Designed as an online resource, the web site creates a forum for visitors to define, discuss, and discover solutions to their particular sleep needs. SleepBetter.org’s quest is to continually gather pertinent sleep information, then share this knowledge with the general public. The site also shares tips on the best sleep related products, both in stores and online. SleepBetter.org has created the Sleep Better seal as a way to easily identify products recommended for their superior quality or scientifically based design. Created by Carpenter Co., the world’s largest producer of comfort cushioning products, SleepBetter.org provides information and advice that visitors can use to sleep better. For more information, please visit http://SleepBetter.org .
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