As sleep is getting more attention as a key building block of health, parents are wondering just how important sleep is for the children. With today’s hectic schedules, getting the kids in bed on time may feel impossible. Here are a few reasons to prioritize your child’s sleep and how to help them get the best sleep possible.
Importance of Sleep for Children
Research tells us that getting enough sleep is crucial for growth and development. For children who don’t get enough sleep, they are more likely to have problems at school and develop more slowly that children who are getting enough sleep each night.
How Much Sleep Does My Child Need?
While each child is different, it’s critical to make sure your child gets at least the minimum requirements recommended by the American Academy of Sleep. Watch for signs that your child would benefit from more sleep.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends the following amounts of sleep, based on age group:
- 4 to 12 months — 12 to 16 hours
- 1 to 2 years — 11 to 14 hours
- 3 to 5 years — 10 to 13 hours
- 6 to 12 years — 9 to 12 hours
- 13 to 18 years — 8 to 10 hours
Sleep Hygiene for Children
Good sleep hygiene gives children the best chances of getting adequate, healthy shuteye every day. And sleeping a healthy night is critical in promoting children’s growth and development.
Here are a few sleeping hygiene practices that can help younger kids and school-age children.
- regular bedtimes — even for older kids, keeping a regular bedtime was important. Adolescents whose parents set strict guidelines about their bedtime slept better than kids whose parents didn’t set any guidelines.
- reading before bed – as a screen-free, quiet activity this a great option to help your children wind down. Consider reading aloud to even older children to help them truly relax and unwind.
- having a quiet bedroom – do your best to give your child a quiet environment. Using a sound machine or fan can help block out external noises, as well.
- self-soothing — where you give them opportunities to go to sleep and go back to sleep on their own, if they wake up in the middle of the night.
Other Factors That Affect Sleep
One big problem with school-age children is it can take them a long time to get to sleep, so avoiding activities like playing video games or watching exciting movies before bedtime is important. It’s a good idea to make bedrooms a screen-free zone.
A study in New Zealand showed family dinner time was critical to helping adolescents sleep. Quality time with family is critical to children’s health and well-being. Family dinner is often a time where children can process their days and strengthen family connections and bonds.
One Korean study linked school-age children’s and adolescents’ short sleeping duration to long commute times between home and school and large amounts of evening homework. With more children coping with longer commutes and growing amounts of school work, it is an important area for future study in North America.
Surprisingly, there wasn’t a lot of evidence linking caffeine use before bedtime to poor sleep; it appeared to be the total intake during the day that matters.
More studies are needed to examine the effect of certain sleep hygiene factors on sleep quality, but setting bedtimes, even for older kids, and things like sitting down for a family dinner, establishing certain rituals like reading before bed, and limiting screen time as much as possible will improve your child’s sleep.
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