Sleep and brain health – youth pay attention

If it is going to happen to me, a sleepless night usually presents itself a couple of days before the full moon, not a day after the full moon.

As I stand here typing away, I feel weak and shaky from my lack of sleep.  I’m laughing at my clumsiness, or should I confess more so that I’m struggling to function just like I’m drunk.  My fingers aren’t working and my mood is less than cordial.

I’m astonished to realize that I feel drunk.  The reality is, I’m damn tired and last night’s sleep (if you could call it that) was the worst I’ve had in a long time.

The irony is, yesterday, I accompanied a fellow dementia trainer in an all-day training for 6, 7, and 8 graders about our brains, including the importance of a good nights’ sleep.  We taught them about brain health, risks for brain injury, and how to protect our brains as we grow.  One of the quotes she shared was from her physician friend.

“Poor sleep, 5 hours or less, has the equivalent effect on our cognitive abilities of having drunk 4 beers.”

Yikes – last night I had maybe close to 5 hours, but it was not straight for 5 hours – it was interrupted sleep.  This morning, I’m thinking the doctor was on to something important to consider, especially as we age.  And I’m still wondering why we’re not doing extra training in our school systems to help our children learn healthy habits to take care of their brains.

In between bouts of sleep last night, my own brain was spinning through the thoughts of the day.  I was worried about how I did during the training.  Young kids are a tough crowd, especially when you’re presenting about aging with gray hair.  Ageism…is alive and kicking by the way.  I was thinking that Dessy was snoring loudly.  I was startled awake by Copper whining to go out 3 times.

I tossed and turned and couldn’t stay comfortable.  I was stressed about a task I have to complete right away when I get to work.  I was mad my laptop died after it flashed me the blue screen of death.  I was hot – it was 76 in the house and 67 degrees outside.  I woke up suddenly to a sweat attack – but, dammit, I can’t be mad it’s warm out, not yet.

I know better.  I know poor sleep sets us up for memory issues.  I know it, I teach about it, and today, I feel the brain fog due to lack of sleep.  But sometimes that damn brain of mine does its own rambling and it’s hard to shake its racing mode when I can’t sleep at night.

But kids…what do they have to worry about to keep them up at night?  It’s the video games and screens they play and watch instead of getting out in nature and refreshing their brains.  Many said video games were good for challenging their brains.  Many said after a head injury, they still play video games or use their phones.  Oh, the damage we’re letting happen to our youth’s brains is terrifying to me.

I hope at least some of them paid attention to the video.  They all seemed to perk up when we said, “Now we’re going to watch a video on concussions.”

I hope they remember the top list of things to do to take care of our brains:

• Exercise
• Healthy eating
• Wear a seatbelt or helmet
• Sleep (8-11 hours per night)
• Challenge your brain

Did the kids know any of those things before the training?  Some did but said they don’t take it seriously.  Some even rested their heads on their sleeve as they dozed off while we talked.  For most, it was new information.  So again, I hope they remember what we shared.

I’m amazed at the number of them who said they don’t get good sleep, don’t wear helmets or seat belts, and don’t get regular exercise.  That makes me sad.  What’s worse is I know this is the age group of kids who will be the future caregivers for those in the baby boomer generation.  We will need them to be healthy and have brains smart enough to know what we need when we have dementia and can’t think for ourselves.  We don’t need them to have dementia at the same time we do!

If you’re a parent of kids going to elementary, middle and high school show them the video – talk to them about keeping their brain safe and take care of your own brain!  We only have the one brain, and it’s up to us to treat it with respect and tender loving care.

Is it too early for a nap?…