(Pueblo, CO October 21, 2010) – As the days get shorter and the end of daylight savings time looms, feeling like you haven’t had enough sleep seems to be more common. According to Dr. James Pagel, adolescents aren’t getting enough sleep and it is affecting their schoolwork.
Parkview Medical Center’s sleep center medical director, Dr. Pagel, has finished a two year study on sleep patterns in relations to school performance. This work was instrumental in leading to this years’ American Medical Association resolution that identified adolescent sleep disturbance and sleepiness as a major public health issue. The most recent paper based on this work “Sleep performance affecting school performance at different educational levels” will be published this month in the Journal “Frontiers of Neurology.”
In the study Dr. Pagel worked with students from Heaton Middle School, East High School, Pueblo Community College and Colorado State University- Pueblo. He found that almost 80% of middle school aged children had daytime sleepiness associated with insufficient sleep that led to poorer school performance. Schools in other states have started sending buses first for elementary age children who do not have this problem and delaying the start time of middle and high schools. This approach has led to improved test scores. This solution has met resistance from the parents of elementary aged children worried because they don’t want their children going to school in the dark during winter months. Dr. Pagel has been trying to make an effort to help students with sleep disorders to improve their lifestyles and address the problems of sleepiness affecting grades.
During the course of the study Dr. Pagel helped a young student regain her life with a sleep study at Parkview that showed she had a sleeping disorder called narcolepsy. Lacey Shawcroft had been wrongly diagnosed with symptoms as extreme as passing out five times a day. She was constantly tired and struggling to keep up with her grades and functioning normally throughout her day.
She came to Parkview right before her freshman year in high school in 2005 and was diagnosed by Dr. Pagel with narcolepsy. Her grades and quality of life greatly improved and was able to become a Rodeo Queen. She now attends CSU Fort Collins.
“I’m in college, keeping my grades up, holding a job and functioning normally”, explained Lacey. She thanks the right combination of medication for her being able to function this well.
Dr. Pagel stresses concerns for anyone suffering from significant daytime sleepiness to have a sleep study to diagnose the true problem. Parkview’s sleep lab has treated more than 65 patients ranging from age 2 to 20 in the last year.
Sleep patterns change throughout the year and in Autumn it is just as important to watch your sleeping patterns. Students need to continue going to bed at a reasonable hour and waking up at the same time every morning even though it’s getting dark earlier in the day and staying dark longer. Fall season can cause some to become more drowsy from the time change, but it’s crucial to keep a sleeping schedule to maximize your energy and health throughout the fall and winter months.
There are many things adolescents and parents can do to make sure their children are prepared for the school year ahead to improve their performances. Life style changes can lead to healthier sleeping patterns.

Do not drink caffeine after 2 p.m.
Do not eat within 2 hours of going to bed
Make sure to get 8 to 9 hours of sleep every night
Sleeping less during the week and sleeping in on the weekends doesn’t help your body catch up
Playing video games within an hour of going to bed leads to agitation and difficulty relaxing for bed.
It may be best to charge the cell phone in another room. Many students are in the habit of texting in the middle of the night.
For additional information, please contact the Parkview Sleep Center at (719) 584-4976.