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6 ways to promote healthy sleep routines for your family this summer

By U.S. News & World Report

Sleep is a lot like surfing: It takes preparation and practice to learn how to catch and ride the wave. But it’s worth the effort, since healthy sleep patterns during childhood and adolescence are linked to improved health outcomes, academic achievement and physical safety, among many other benefits.

As parents, know that every night won’t bring perfect conditions, but helping children improve their sleep quality, attitudes and rituals sets them up favorably to catch the big wave and establish healthy sleep routines.

It’s important to know that sleep habits, attitudes, rituals and routines satisfy deep human instincts to be safe at times when we are most vulnerable, such as letting down vigilance for the night. This drive is present not only across the lifespan, but in all species. Even for the best sleepers, environmental conditions and undercurrents of emotions (particularly fear and sadness) as well as medical illness and injuries can erode sleep quality and, in some cases, lead to chronic insomnia (defined as difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep and poor sleep quality). For humans, and children in particular, routine translates to predictability — which translates to comfort and feeling safe.

Here are six key recommendations for developing healthy sleep routines:

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Sammy Dhaliwal, Amysue Hansen and Wendy Pinder contributed to this post.

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6 Ways to Promote Healthy Sleep Routines for Your Family This Summer originally appeared on usnews.com

Environmental Protection Agency boss backs big budget cuts but Congress will get the final say

By The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats accused the Trump administration of abandoning the Environmental Protection Agency's mission to protect human health and the environment at a congressional hearing Wednesday, slamming agency leadership over a proposal to cut its budget in half. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin's appearance before the Senate environment committee was his last of three budget hearings this week where he argued for sharply reduced funding for the agency, which already has seen its staffing reduced to its lowest level in decades under his leadership. During much of the week, the former Republican congressman from New York took an aggressive approach, responding to Democrats in the House and Senate with his own questions and at times accusing them of being unprepared or failing to care about the EPA’s track record. Zeldin has eliminated major climate change programs, promoted deregulatory efforts he calls the biggest in American history and canceled billions of dollars in Biden-era environmental justice grants to halt what he calls “EPA’s radical diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.” “This budget proposal captures significant efficiencies and a return focus on what Congress has directed us to do, demonstrating our commitment to a leaner, more efficient and accountable EPA" that directly benefits Americans, Zeldin told senators Wednesday.
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