Sleeping should be as high a priority as food for kids. But do you think your kids are sleeping enough? How can you know for sure that they had enough sleep?
Sometimes, we find yourselves overlooking the fact that our kids might not be sleeping as early as they should be. Especially as they get older and activities and homework have to be done and dusted before getting to bed. The process of getting them into bed can get so painful. That giving an extra half hour seems reasonable for your sanity. After all, how long can you tolerate a child arguing to stay up that extra ten minutes?
What happens when my kids sleep?
Studies are showing that sleep is as important as food for kids. Improper sleep habits not only have short term consequences but affect children into adulthood. Sleep, it seems, affects everything:
- – Brain power.
- – Emotional health.
- – Mental health.
- – Appetite.
- – Metabolism.
According to Marc Weissbluth, MD and author of Healthy Sleep Habit, Happy Child,
“Sleep is the power source that keeps your mind alert and calm. Every night and at every nap, sleep recharges the brain’s battery. Sleeping well increases brain power just as weight lifting builds stronger muscles.”
Well, we just have to take a look at ourselves as adults to see how lack of sleep affects us. We can get cranky, aggressive, unreasonable, lethargic, find it hard to concentrate and make bad decisions. For children, it’s even worse.
How bad is delaying my kids’ bedtime?
Children depend on sleep for not only mental but physical growth. Studies found that delaying bedtime by just one hour for kids between 8 and 12 years old is bad. It can impair their emotional functioning, memory attention and math fluency. Another study in The Journal of Pediatrics, found a link between late sleeping as preschoolers to obesity as adolescents.
Your child’s sleep requirements vary with their age. Instilling a consistent bedtime and sleep routine will benefit them as children and as adults.
Keep Calm and get a Good Night’s Sleep from Team Mumzworld.
