Is there any issue more
troublesome for parents than getting kids to bed? From the moment offspring
discover
they have a will of their own,
they choose going to bed as their favorite sport for flexing
their willpower. Every home I know has an innate struggle between children
and parents over
sleep issues. What fascinates me about this struggle is that
when
told to go to bed, children don’t think they need much sleep. But
when it’s time to wake them for school it becomes another story!
Getting them out of bed become a second melee!
The Effects of Lost Sleep
This would really be a humorous encounter if the consequences were
not so serious. Recent research published in the latest edition
of the journal ‘Child
Development’ reports that even a moderate change in sleep duration,
notable losing sleep, can significantly impair a child’s brain functioning.
Studies on adults had previously shown that significant sleep deprivation
impaired the brain’s ‘executive control system.’ But this
study wanted to explore the effect of only a slight change in sleep duration
on a child’s schoolwork. It looked at the effects of adding or subtracting
just one hour of sleep to a fourth- to sixth-grade child’s regular
sleeping habits. The results are quite disquieting.
The researchers allowed a group of children to sleep their normal
duration for the first two days, then, for the next three days
they asked parents
of half the group to either extend their child’s sleeping time by
one hour, or the other half to reduce it by one hour. The children were
evaluated on a variety of performance tests before and after these
changes.
What they found was that those children who had one hour extra
sleep performed better on all performance tests, and those
that had one hour less
of sleep performed more poorly than when they slept their
normal duration.
So, to all Moms and Dads out there, my message is very clear:
if you want your child to perform better at school, add
an extra hour of sleep
to their regular sleeping time. And while you’re about it, do the
same for yourself!
A Sleeping Guide for Parents
The
study did not definitively explore how much sleep a child needs, and
this is a
pity because I think that this is
the million-dollar-question on most parents’ minds.
But I know from other research that a normal, healthy child
needs a minimum of 9 hours of sleep in order to maximize
his or her potential. Some might even need more. It
is generally accepted that
pre-school children need 10 to 12 hours of sleep.
How can you help your child sleep more and better? Here are
some tips:
Keep your child’s bedtime schedule the same EVERY night. This helps the body’s internal clock to become regulated, while too much variation deregulates it.
Darken your child’s environment an hour before bedtime by reducing strong lighting. This helps the production of Melatonin, the body’s own natural sedative.
Beware of frequent ‘sleepovers.’ Everyone loses sleep when kids try to sleep together and it takes quite a few days to recover from the sleep deprivation!
Avoid "all-nighters," such as studying all night the day before a test. A Child needs a rested brain for exams, not just one crammed with information he or she won’t be able to remember!
Children should avoid all ‘high adrenaline arousal’ activities before bedtime – such as gymnastics, rough play, competitive games, action TV, computer activities, etc. Adrenaline has to drop before sleep can occur.
Try to create
a family "wind down" time for all before
bedtime. This should include some
prayer time as well. You might be surprised
how well it helps your sleep as well!
Not only cant these tips help your child sleep better, but they can also lay the foundation for a healthier life-style for when they grow up.
Archibald D. Hart, Ph. D., FPPR.
Executive Editor, AACC