Students wake up to lack of sleep

Angela Soo

Wednesday, March 28, 2001 | 9:36 a.m.

Getting enough sleep is tough for some Rancho High School students, since some have to spend two hours on a one-way bus ride to make their 7 a.m. class.

Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center sleep specialist Dr. Paul Saskin asked 70 Rancho freshmen to keep track of their rest patterns to determine who's counting enough sheep in their sleep.

The students recorded their personal sleeping habits in a daily log for one week. Saskin analyzed the completed sleep diaries and discussed the findings with them Tuesday.

"These kids are averaging 7 1/2 hours of sleep each night and feeling only somewhat refreshed after waking up," Saskin said. "The ideal amount is 9 hours, so most are suffering from lack of sleep."

Sleep deprivation has its consequences, Diane Mooney, lead technician at Sunrise Sleep Center, said. "Learning ability is affected, and drops in retention level and mental alertness are also consequences."

These are important factors, especially for students in Rancho's health and science magnet program, who begin their day learning about anatomy, blood pressure and other weighty subject manner, Saskin said.

"What happens when these students start driving, working and going to school all at the same time?" Saskin asked. "Fifty-five percent of accidents from falling asleep behind the wheel are caused by people who are 25 years and under."

Being sleep deprived is as dangerous as driving drunk, Mooney said. "Your reaction time is much slower and your senses are dulled."

Saskin said sleep deprivation has "already taken its toll on the students."

"The teenage years are when kids want to stay up late," Saskin said. "But they have to wake up as early as 5 a.m. for school. There's a conflict between their night owl clock and their school clock."

"I always knew I wasn't getting enough sleep," Lauren Scungio, a freshman, said. "I'm tired and I fall asleep in certain classes a lot. Now I realize how little sleep I was getting."

A possible solution to the problem, but highly unrealistic, is to begin classes at 9 a.m., Saskin said. "That would require changes in the bus schedule and after-school sports practices."

Changing pre-bedtime habits, such as refraining from anything with caffeine, television or exercise before bed, are more realistic approaches to solving the problem, Saskin said.

"There's no such thing as the perfect amount of sleep," Saskin said. "You should simply judge by how you feel in the morning."