Back to School – The Importance of Sleep
Now’s the time to give some thought to the transition your kids will need to make from summer fun, which may include later or greatly varying bedtimes, to a more structured approach for the school year.
A recent poll by the National Sleep Foundation found that only 20 percent of kids are getting the recommended amount of sleep on school nights. School-age children and teenagers should get at least nine hours of sleep a day, according to the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The poll found that sixth-graders were sleeping an average of 8.4 hours on school nights and 12th-graders just 6.9 hours. Without enough sleep, a person has trouble focusing and responding quickly, according to NIH. In addition to effecting school performance, the agency said there is growing evidence linking a chronic lack of sleep with an increased risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and infections.
One cause of that lack of sleep appears to be too many distractions in children’s bedrooms. Nearly all youngsters —97 percent— have at least one electronic item in their bedroom. These include television, computer, phone or music devices. Adolescents with four or more such items in their bedrooms are much more likely than their peers to get an insufficient amount of sleep at night and almost twice as likely to fall asleep in school and while doing homework, the foundation reported.
Sleep Tips
- Set a regular time for bed each night and stick to it.
- Establish a relaxing bedtime routine, such as giving your child a warm bath or reading him or her a story (for teens, reading or listening to music)
- Make after-dinner time a relaxing time. Too much activity close to bedtime can keep children and teens awake.
- Avoid feeding children big meals close to bedtime.
- Avoid giving children anything with caffeine less than six hours before bedtime. Help your teen cut out caffeine after lunctime.
- Set the bedroom temperature so that it's comfortable – not too warm and not too cold.
- Make sure the bedroom is dark. If necessary for smaller children, use a small nightlight.
- Keep the noise level low.
Sources: The National Sleep Foundation