--- title: "An Alternative to Hibernation | Denver Psychiatry Blog" description: "This morning, as I was tired and cold on my way to work, I thought about how great it would be to hibernate. 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For children and adolescents, this includes integrated meetings with parents. By the end of 1-2 visits, you'll have a clear clinical formulation and personalized treatment plan." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Does Denver Psychiatry treat both children and adults?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Yes, Dr. Steve Sarche is board certified in both general psychiatry and child & adolescent psychiatry. Denver Psychiatry provides comprehensive care for patients ages 10 and older, with age-appropriate treatment approaches." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What mental health conditions does Denver Psychiatry treat?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Denver Psychiatry treats a wide range of mental health conditions including anxiety disorders, depression, bipolar disorder, ADHD, PTSD, situational stress, behavioral problems, and relational difficulties. 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This holistic perspective informs Dr. Sarche's approach to mental health, considering how physical and emotional well-being influence each other." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "How do I schedule an appointment with Denver Psychiatry?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "You can schedule an appointment by calling Denver Psychiatry at (303) 393-8808. The staff will help you find a convenient time and answer any questions about your first visit." } } ] }, { "@type": "Blog", "@id": "https://denverpsychiatry.com/#blog", "name": "Denver Psychiatry Mental Health Blog", "description": "Expert insights and articles on mental health topics from Dr. Steve Sarche, board-certified psychiatrist in Denver, Colorado.", "url": "https://denverpsychiatry.com/blog", "author": { "@id": "https://denverpsychiatry.com/#physician" }, "publisher": { "@id": "https://denverpsychiatry.com/#organization" } } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Article", "headline": "An Alternative to Hibernation", "description": "This morning, as I was tired and cold on my way to work, I thought about how great it would be to hibernate. Can you imagine shutting down from January to March, wrapped up in your favorite blanket, w...", "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dr. Steve Sarche", "jobTitle": "Board Certified Psychiatrist" }, "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Denver Psychiatry", "url": "https://denverpsychiatry.com" }, "datePublished": "2010-01-23T18:42:35+00:00", "mainEntityOfPage": { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://denverpsychiatry.com/article/an-alternative-to-hibernation" } } ] --- [ Denver Psychiatry Dr. Steve Sarche, D.O. ](#home) [](tel:303-393-8808) [ Denver Psychiatry Dr. Steve Sarche, D.O. ](#home) [Home](#home) Services ### Conditions We Treat [ ADHD Treatment Child & adult ADHD specialist care ](/adhd)[ Anxiety Treatment Generalized anxiety, panic, social anxiety ](/anxiety-treatment)[ Depression Treatment Major depression, bipolar, mood disorders ](/depression-treatment)[ PTSD & Trauma Treatment Trauma recovery focused on full healing ](/ptsd-trauma-treatment) ### Specialty Care [ Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship-trained, ages 10 and up ](/child-adolescent-psychiatry)[ Performance Optimization Precision psychiatry for high performers ](/performance-optimization)[ Medication Management Expert prescription and monitoring ](#services) #### Talk to Dr. Sarche Call to schedule your initial evaluation [Call Now](tel:303-393-8808) About ### About Us [ Dr. Steve Sarche, D.O. 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Learn what to expect at your first visit [Learn More](#services) Contact ### Get In Touch [ Contact Form Send us a message ](#contact)[ Call Us (303) 393-8808 ](tel:303-393-8808)[ Our Location 720 S Colorado Blvd, Suite 910N ](#contact) [Call Dr. Sarche](tel:303-393-8808) [Back to Blog](/blog) Medication & Treatment # An Alternative to Hibernation Dr. Steve Sarche Board Certified Psychiatrist • Saturday, January 23, 2010 • 4 min read Share: [](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fdrsteve.lovable.app%2Farticle%2Fan-alternative-to-hibernation)[](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdrsteve.lovable.app%2Farticle%2Fan-alternative-to-hibernation&text=An%20Alternative%20to%20Hibernation)[](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fdrsteve.lovable.app%2Farticle%2Fan-alternative-to-hibernation&title=An%20Alternative%20to%20Hibernation)[]() This morning, as I was tired and cold on my way to work, I thought about how great it would be to hibernate. Can you imagine shutting down from January to March, wrapped up in your favorite blanket, warm, safe, sleeping, sleeping, and then sleeping some more until it is time to wake up to the warming days and the budding flora and fauna? Sure you would be famished and probably need to pee real badly, but otherwise, you would feel pretty great. Now, we obviously can’t do that, so I want to simply write about healthy sleep. Every mammal requires sleep, and most mammals sleep at night. This makes sense as, before electricity, there really wasn’t much to do after dark (there has always been one activity that people engaged in after dark, but I am trying to keep this as a “family” article). Any way, at night, why not slow the body down, promote healing, conserve and even replenish energy stores? In addition sleep likely offers a way to process and store memories, consolidate learning, and may bolster the immune system. In children, growth hormone is secreted. The body is built to tell us when to sleep. The brain uses a chemical called Adenosine as a gauge to let the body know it is time to sleep. As Adenosine builds up, a person will become more and more tired. During sleep, the Adenosine levels drop and that helps promote wakefulness as the morning approaches. In addition, Melatonin levels rise during sleep and fall during the day.    Core body temperature decreases when it is time to sleep as well. When people suffer from insomnia, try to push through these natural signs for sleep, or are using substances to stay awake (cocaine, caffeine, stimulants, etc.) sleep deprivation occurs. Sleep deprivation is a nasty problem. After one bad night of sleep, you are virtually guaranteed a day filled with irritability, low efficiency with problems in concentration and judgment (you can almost look like you have ADD), less patience, low energy, possibly with periods of adrenalin release causing what some would call being “slap happy”.  From a motor coordination standpoint, there will be decreased reaction time and accuracy. Chronic sleep deprivation can lead to impaired function of the immune system, cardiovascular problems, risk for type 2 Diabetes, depression and anxiety. Sleep deprived children will perform poorly in school, have behavior problems and be at risk for growth retardation. Sadly, I just described about 30% of the population in the United States. The lifestyle and culture in the United States lends to sleep deprivation and, in my opinion, this is an important reason for the tremendous increase in mental health problems over the last few decades. There is now a lot to do after dark and a lot of it is fun. Who wants to miss out on anything? Actually, I do. I prefer how good I feel in the morning after a solid night of 7­8 hours of sleep. Sleep is so vital to physical and mental health that if you have a sleep problem I strongly suggest you seek help for it. A very basic definition of a sleep problem is if you sleep less than 7­8 hours per night and/or feel sleepy during the day or experience any other problem from lack of sleep.    There are several ways to treat a sleep problem both with and without medications. The first thing that should be done is rule out any medical cause for sleep problems or daytime sleepiness such as sleep apnea or depression. Next, work on behavior, called “sleep hygiene”. Refer to the sleep tips tab in the left column of the “education” page on my website. Sleep tips explains sleep hygiene and offers several strategies to improve sleep. Alas, we cannot hibernate through the cold, dark days of winter so we should do the next best thing; ensure that every night we are doing everything we can to get a good night’s sleep. With that, you would be in too good of a mood to want to hibernate any way. Share: [](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fdrsteve.lovable.app%2Farticle%2Fan-alternative-to-hibernation)[](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdrsteve.lovable.app%2Farticle%2Fan-alternative-to-hibernation&text=An%20Alternative%20to%20Hibernation)[](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fdrsteve.lovable.app%2Farticle%2Fan-alternative-to-hibernation&title=An%20Alternative%20to%20Hibernation)[]() ### Need Help With Your Mental Health? Dr. Steve Sarche provides compassionate psychiatric care for children, adolescents, and adults in the Denver area. [Call to Speak With Dr. Sarche](tel:303-393-8808) ### Get new articles from Dr. Sarche We'll only email you when Dr. Sarche publishes a new article. Unsubscribe anytime. Subscribe ## Related Articles [ Medication & Treatment ### Understanding Childhood Anxiety: Signs Parents Should Know Anxiety in children often manifests differently than in adults. Learn to recognize the subtle signs and when to seek professional help. Jan 15, 2024 2 min read ](/article/understanding-childhood-anxiety)[ Medication & Treatment ### Making Noise of ADHD Making Noise for ADHD The human nervous system is a powerful, not fully understood system. It is our internal computer and network that is responsible, among other things, for how we think, feel and b... May 24, 2018 5 min read ](/article/making-noise-of-adhd)[ Medication & Treatment ### How Do Your Genes Fit? Genetic science has progressed rapidly in the last 20 years. I am not an expert in genetics, so I will not try to explain how this has been accomplished or what specifically has been accomplished. Suf... Mar 2, 2015 5 min read ](/article/how-do-your-genes-fit) ### Denver Psychiatry Dr. Steve Sarche, D.O. Providing compassionate, comprehensive psychiatric care to children, adolescents, and adults in the Denver area since 2004. [(303) 393-8808](tel:303-393-8808)[Patient Portal](https://www.valant.io/portal/sarche) #### Quick Links - [Home](#home) - [Services](#services) - [About Dr. Sarche](#about) - [Our Approach](#approach) - [Resources](#resources) - [Blog](#blog) - [Contact Us](#contact) #### Contact - The Galleria 720 S Colorado Blvd, Suite 910N Denver, CO 80246 - [(303) 393-8808](tel:303-393-8808) - Fax: (303) 399-6069 © 2026 Denver Psychiatry. All rights reserved. [Privacy Policy](/privacy-policy)[HIPAA Notice](/hipaa-notice)[Accessibility](/accessibility) [Made with by HEARD Digital Marketing](https://heardmarketing.io)