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November 2015

From the School Health Office……….

Monday Mornings:

Parents: please make sure your children are well rested and ready for school on Monday mornings. The middle school Health Office always has the most “business” on Mondays, and many concerns can be traced to a busy and sleep deprived weekend for your adolescent. We are not seeing anything “going around” at this time, just a lot of headaches, cold symptoms, tummy aches, and tired teens. Due to the wait time, some are missing important class time. We want to address all the student’s needs, but you can help by making sure they get to bed early on school nights, especially Sunday night, and checking on them in the morning to make sure they are ready for school.

Ideas To Improve Your Sleep Hygiene

Get up at the same time every day, even on weekends.

Start going to sleep a little earlier every night, until you get to your “”target” bedtime.

Listen to soft “mellow” music while getting ready for bed.

Take a warm bath.

Have a light snack like a banana or a small bowl of cereal.

Have a good book to read before drifting off to sleep, but not so good that you stay up late reading.

Use a fan or “white noise” from the radio to block out other noises.

Have your pet sleep somewhere else.

Block out light in your bedroom.

Move your lighted clock so it faces away from you so you are not waking up and checking it.

If you are worried about something, talk it over with someone you trust. Or, keep a diary.

Relax before your target bedtime. Do not engage in strenuous exercise 2-3 hours before bed.

Use a sleep diary or log to keep track of what you eat and do, to see if anything affects your sleep.

Make a bedtime routine or “plan’ of what you want to do every night before bed. Stick to it and see if it works. It may take several attempts

Please see the chart below for help in deciding if you or your children are experiencing symptoms of a cold, the influenza or pertussis. Keep this chart for the winter months!

Is it a Cold, Flu or Pertussis?
Colds, flu and Pertussis are highly contagious and, in the initial stages, might seem alike. Check the following table for a comparison of the symptoms for each illness.

Symptom / Influenza ("Flu") / Cold (Viral URI) / Pertussis
Fever / Usually present and high (102-104°F or 39-40°C); typically lasts 3-4 days / Uncommon / Uncommon If present, typically low-grade
Headache / Very common / Uncommon / Uncommon
Aches and pains, muscle aches, chest discomfort / Common, Often severe / Slight to Moderate / Uncommon
Fatigue and weakness / Moderate - severe; can last up to 14-21 days / Mild / Mild to moderate
Extreme exhaustion / Very common early in illness / Extremely Rare / Rare
Stuffy or runny nose / Sometimes / Common / Common, early in the disease
Sneezing / Sometimes / Common / Common, early in the disease
Sore throat / Sometimes / Common / Uncommon
C
O
U
G
H / Character / Non-productive ("dry") cough is typical; nocturnal cough rare / Hacking cough, often productive; nocturnal cough rare; usually responds to cough medications / Variable character; fits / paroxysms and nocturnal cough are common; generally not responsive to cough medications
Severity / Moderate / Mild to Moderate / Variable; can be mild in adults and very severe in infants and young children
Duration / Typically 3-7 days; occasionally to 14 days / Typically 3-7 days / Persistent cough, almost always >1week, usually 2-6 weeks, sometimes 10+ weeks
Paroxysms / Uncommon / Rare / Common
Infectious Period / 1-2 days before symptom onset to 5-10 days after / Variable; typically 4-7 days after symptom onset; can be longer / From start of catarrhal phase (before cough) to 21 days after cough onset*

*or until taking 5 days of appropriate anti-pertussis antibiotics, or until a nasopharyngeal pertussis PCR is negative, whichever occurs first.