Sara is a neonatal nurse practitioner who cares for newborns in the Birth Center, and also sees children of all ages at the Northfield Clinic. How did she get so good at multi-tasking? Think roller skates and dinner plates.

Sara Gergen, APRN, CPNP-PC, NNP-BC brings special expertise to the Birth Center and the Northfield Clinic.

Sara is a neonatal nurse practitioner who cares for newborns in the Birth Center.

By Stacey Zell, RT

Waking up for school can be tough on kids and parents. Shifting from summer to a busy (early!) school routine makes it tempting to cut corners on sleep. But kids age 5 to 12 need 10-11 hours of sleep per night, and teenagers often fall short of the 8-10 hours of sleep they need each night.

And it’s more than mere hours that matters. “Healthy sleep” requires appropriate timing, daily regularity, good sleep quality, and the absence of sleep disorders, says the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.