1 in 42 children in Kansas City that do not have a bed of their own to sleep on. When a child doesn’t have a comfortable place to sleep, he or she doesn’t get the sleep they need to stay healthy and focused in school. When a child doesn’t sleep well, an entire family doesn’t sleep well.
The National Institutes of Health says that lack of sleep has some of the following adverse effects as reported in this article:
“Children and teens who are sleep deficient may have problems getting along with others. They may feel angry and impulsive, have mood swings, feel sad or depressed, or lack motivation. They also may have problems paying attention, and they may get lower grades and feel stressed.”
“People who are sleep deficient are less productive at work and school. They take longer to finish tasks, have a slower reaction time, and make more mistakes.”
“Sleep also supports healthy growth and development. Deep sleep triggers the body to release the hormone that promotes normal growth in children and teens.”
“Your immune system relies on sleep to stay healthy…. Ongoing sleep deficiency can change the way in which your immune system responds. For example, if you're sleep deficient, you may have trouble fighting common infections.”
“Sleep plays an important role in your physical health....Ongoing sleep deficiency is linked to an increased risk of heart disease kidney disease, high blood pressure diabetes, and stroke.”
“Sleep deficiency also increases the risk of obesity. For example, one study of teenagers showed that with each hour of sleep lost, the odds of becoming obese went up.”
This is where Sleepyhead Beds, a local Kansas City charitable organization, helps out. Sleepyhead Beds provides clean, recycled beds and bedding to the community. Since 2010, Sleepyhead Beds has delivered over 12,000 beds to Kansas City children.
And on Wednesday, November 8 Sleepyhead Beds will be hosting their 6th Annual Bingo & Boulevard for Beds fundraiser at Boulevard Brewing Company in Kansas City, Missouri.
Join me and hundreds of others for an evening of bingo, great prizes, food, drink and more to help out this important cause. But hurry, because tickets are almost sold out!
If you can’t make it, please consider sponsoring or donating to our cause here.
You can view an invite here, and find more details on Facebook and at Sleepyhead Beds.