SLEEP Online Magazine - The SLEEP Blog - All about SLEEP, SLEEPING, and SLEEPINESS » watching_television

Bedtime Hours Can Save Energy

Brian Yalung — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 05:34:54 +0000

The time at which you sleep can make a difference. And by this, we do not just mean health. We are also considering the fact of saving energy, a common issue we are encountering today.

Apparently this stems from the fact that we are using up electricity so much when we are awake and this includes:

Watching Television
Using Microwave Ovens
Turning up those radios and components
Keeping the lights open

All of these enumerated facts use electricity and even if people try to economize by using them sparingly, setting a certain time where minimal use of electricity can do a lot for us anywhere today.

“Go to sleep earlier so that you can grow and be cleverer. Boil less water, use the microwave rather than stove, take a shower and not a shallow bath,” was Minerals and Energy Minister Buyelwa Sonjica’s advice to the country at a special joint parliamentary sitting to discuss the power crisis.

(Source) IOL

Sleep Routine for Multi-Tasking Children

Brian Yalung — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 17:50:01 +0000

Take a look at a child and you will see a routine of activities that they normally do each day. These include eating meals, watching television and sleeping. Now for most, these are given facts. But the real thing here is that there are extenders of one aspect over the other.

For all of these, sleep may be the most overlooked aspect. Television normally eats up the time given to sleep and once it does happen, children will start to have abnormal sleeping patterns along the way.

The survey, which has been conducted annually for 14 years, asked for the first time whether children watched television while eating dinner or in bed before going to sleep. It found that 58% watch during their evening meal, while 63% lie in bed watching the screen (rising to almost three-quarters of 13 to 16-year-olds). Two-thirds – particularly the youngest children – watch before school, and 83% turn on the television after returning home.

(Source) The Guardian Unlimited

Want to lose weight? Try sleeping more

Brian Yalung — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 22:13:17 +0000

Here’s a great article on losing weight by sleeping more.

In a new article appearing in the current issue of Obesity Reviews, University of Michigan researcher Michael Sivak presents calculations showing that replacing one hour of inactive wakefulness—such as watching television—with sleep can result in a 6 percent reduction in caloric intake.