Adequate Sleep Affects Child Development

Studies Are In: Children NEED Sleep

How much sleep do children need? How do you get the kids to sleep enough? Experts and and families have grappled with those questions for decades. Now the studies are in and here are recommendations as reported in the Journal of Pediatrics, articles from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

  Enough sleep is critical for the body to heal, brain development, attention and alertness, and emotional regulation like avoiding mood swings, anger acting out behavior, and coping with stress.

  According to Dr. Sumit Bhargava of Stanford, humans sleep to conserve energy and function during the day, and to restore and rejuvenate.  During sleep hormones are secreted and byproducts of the brain’s daytime activities

Sleep for: Healing, Brain & Social Development

 are cleared. Sleep helps the brain develop and organize.

   Preschool-aged children with early weekday bedtimes are one-half as likely as children with late bedtimes to be obese as adolescents.  Lack of sleep affects hormones controlling appetite and metabolism. (Journal of Pediatrics September 2016)

How Much Sleep?

  Many studies recommend these amounts of quality continuous sleep: Babies 4-12 months need 12-16 hours; children 1-2 years need 11-14 hours; children 3-5 years need 10-13 hours; children 6-12 need 9-12 hours; teens 13-18 need 8-10 hours.

  Recommended times for children to start sleeping, not just in their bed, are infants about 7pm, toddlers about 7:30pm, children by 8pm and teen’s 9-10:30pm.

Set Time and Routine

  

Bedtime Routines Are Crucial 

The studies suggest families choose an age appropriate bedtime that allows children to get the consistent number of hours they need seven days a week, healthy for adults, too.

  Install light blocking shades in bedrooms and remove all electronics from the bedroom like TV, phone, computer, and electronic game devices. Designate a deposit spot in the kitchen to keep track of the devises.

  Establish a pleasant and calm routine and stick to it. This is easier said than done and may take several weeks to run smoothly.

  First, children can take an evening bath or shower to relax and clean off sweat and dirt from daytime play. Provide snacks that have nutrients to encourage sleep. Here are a few: water and whole grain graham crackers with cottage cheese and kiwi on top; warm rice with a little milk (dairy or nondairy); ham and cheese roll up; popcorn; 

Bedtime Routines Can Be Creative

whole grain toast with nut butter (if not allergic); banana and milk smoothie; cup of broth based soup like chicken noodle and crackers.

  Move on to brushing and checking teeth, bathroom time, and reading time. Add a little “I love you so much” time, tuck in, and then turn out the lights in this quiet part of the house.
Photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos

Shetches: Mark Nowicki

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