Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 6, 2015)
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS | November 6, 2015 | PAGE 11 AFT president visits MHCC Head Start Don’t let sleep deprivation take a toll on your health Weingarten stops at Kaiser Sun- nyside Medical Center and Port- land Community College By Michael Plett OSEA Communications Specialist The students in Kelly Harring- ton’s Mt. Hood Community College Head Start classroom had a guest “teacher” on Oct. 15 —American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten. Mt. Hood Community Col- lege Head Start Chapter 603 is one of the newest chapters of the Oregon School Employees Association (OSEA), which is an affiliate of AFT. Weingarten was in the Port- land area to address the Na- tional Indian Education Associ- ation convention. As is typical with such trips, her schedule was filled with additional stops to meet with members of other AFT affiliates, such as the Ore- gon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals Local 5017 at Kaiser Sunnyside Med- ical Center, and Portland Com- munity College Faculty Feder- ation Local 2277 members at PCC’s Sylvania Campus. Nevertheless, for about 20 minutes on Oct. 15, Weingarten was able to step outside of her Union members won the eight- hour day. Now it may be time to fight for the eight-hour night. American Federation of Teachers International President Randi Wein- garten reads to students at a Mt. Hood Community College Head Start classroom, where teachers are members of AFT Chapter 603. role as national union leader and spend time reading “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” to a class of precocious 3- and 4- year-olds. In turn, the children taught “Teacher Randi” the words and gestures to the song “Open Shut Them,” before launching into a chaotic game of “Fishing for Letters.” “It was an honor to have Randi visit our classroom,” said teacher Harrington, who is also the chapter president. “The kids enjoyed having her.” Weingarten showed her ap- preciation to her little hosts by distributing free copies of “A Chair for My Mother.” The book, made available through AFT’s partnership with First Book, was likely the first book many of the children had ever received. In preparation for Wein- garten’s visit, the children had created a banner that read “Welcome Randi” and was decorated with the students’ handprints. Just before leaving for another event, Teacher Randi rolled up her sleeves and dipped a hand in gooey blue paint, so she could leave her handprint, too. At an Oct. 15 class for Plumbers and Fitters Local 290 retirees, wellness trainer Judy Zehr lays it on the line: It’s time to wake up to the importance of sleep. A generation ago, Americans slept eight to nine hours a night on average. Now we average seven hours. That’s a problem, be- cause sleep deprivation con- tributes to diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and depression. It’s serious enough that in 2013 the U.S. Centers for Disease Control declared sleeplessness to be a public health epidemic. ■ Turn. It. Off: Try not to have ANY screen time two hours before you go to bed. If there’s a TV in your bedroom, take it out. Stay away especially from news or exciting TV shows near bedtime; they cause release of cortisol, a stress hormone that keeps you awake. ■ Get regular exercise: At least 20 minutes a day, even something as light- duty as gardening … and try to do it before 5 p.m. ■ Watch out for caffeine and alcohol: Try not to consume caffeine after noon – including sodas. And don’t drink too much alcohol. It puts you to sleep, but also wakes you up, and causes sleep to be less restorative. ■ Relax before bed: Take a bath, get in a hot tub, or just splash hot water on your face. It elicits seratonin, which helps you relax. In place of screen time, read a book, particularly a boring book. ■ Pay attention to comfort: It’s okay to be like Goldilocks: Make sure your mattress has the right firmness for your body – not too soft, not too hard. And you don’t want to be too cold or too warm either; cold air and warm blankets One of the chief culprits is screen time. All artificial light interferes with sleep, but blue light in particular—emitted by televisions, computer screens, and smart phones—prevents the release of melatonin, a hormone that helps the body get to sleep. Fortunately, there’s a lot you can do to get more and better sleep. Read on. may be the best combination. ■ Watch out for pills: Don’t be too quick to rely on sleeping pills. Drugs like Ambien and Lunesta can help some people with acute insomnia, but they can also have side effects, and some studies have shown that results are minimal - patients fall asleep on average 13 minutes sooner, and wake up just 11 minutes later. ■ ‘Fast’ before you ‘break-fast’: Don’t eat in the middle of night. You’re training your brain to be hungry then, which can make it more likely you’ll wake at night. ■ Count sheep; it’s not just for shepherds: Focus your thoughts on something repetitive and relaxing maybe a mantra. Or try progressive muscle relaxation – tensing and relaxing the muscles starting with your toes and working your way up to your neck and head. You may be asleep before you know it. ■ Snoring may be a symptom: If you regularly snore, you might want to get checked for sleep apnea, which can disrupt your sleep. AFL-CIO to survey working women The AFL-CIO is conducting a national survey of working women to get a multifaceted picture of the lives of working women across the country, both union and nonunion. The survey, developed under the guidance of the AFL-CIO Executive Council Committee on Working Women, will ask women about their economic in- terests, family and work life, along with their experiences bal- ancing their responsibilities. “Our survey will reach out to working women from all differ- ent walks of life — both inside and outside the labor movement — and will provide a much needed look into the daily lives of working women and how they struggle to achieve the ever-elusive work-life balance,” said Diann Woodard, president of the American Federation of School Administrators and vice- chair of the AFL-CIO Women’s Committee. The survey will be open until Dec. 4, 2015, and results will be available in March 2016 during Women’s History Month. The survey can be accessed at go.aflcio.org/WomensSurvey.
