Did you know that when kids suddenly can't concentrate at school, start failing exams, or are having major accidents it's literally because they're not getting enough sleep. Kids are full of energy. They love to play outside, run around, get dirty, jump, kick, scream, etc. It's okay though, because this is extremely normal behavior for young people. But what keeps them going like this and feeling good and healthy is getting a good night's sleep.
Children should not have to suffer from insomnia, and chances are they will not, provided that their parents keep them on a pretty regimented sleep schedule. Kids do not need to stay up until all hours of the night, especially watching TV and eating junk food. They need to be tucked into their beds, sound asleep, allowing the natural biological process to rejuvenate their skin cells and internal organs. This is vital to their overall development process.
But what about those kids that sit in front of the television for hours a day? Does it affect them? Absolutely! Sleep experts have known for quite some time that staying up late and watching a lot of TV is one of the ways that people can have trouble falling asleep. Kids who watch three or more hours of TV per day are about twice as likely as those who watch less than one hour of TV per day to have sleep difficulties by the time they are young adults.
From the time they are babies, children need much more sleep than adults, because their bodies need to become accustomed to a regular schedule, and because their brain function is still developing, as are their bodies in general. Failing to provide an adequate amount of rest can plague them with trouble sleeping for years to come. Also, immediate consequences would be having difficulty concentrating, being extremely moody, not to mention slowing their metabolism and even affecting their immunity.
Once children reach adolescence at around twelve years old, nine hours seems pretty standard according to the experts. At this stage, they are well into their set sleeping schedules, though they may be getting significantly less sleep. Kids today are involved in so many activities and lead such intense social lives sometimes, that they do not always see the need for sleep during the week, but rather catch up on the weekend. This is proving quite a challenge, as younger and younger children are experiencing bouts of restlessness and insomnia.
A lack of sleep affects brain function. A lot of our mental functions begin to decline if we don't get enough sleep at night. Things like creativity, memory and concentration are affected. Mood as well is affected, so some of the things we are most likely to see if young people are not getting enough sleep is that they would be grouchy and irritable in the morning, they would have trouble paying attention in class, especially in the morning or at the end of the day.
What's the recommendation?
Kids should exercise and do homework instead of spending time in front of the television. There you have it. Simple.
If sleep patterns begin to be askew at a young age, then kids will have a difficult time breaking poor sleeping habits once they reach their teen years. And of course, insomnia will become inevitable during adulthood, as old habits are certainly hard to break. So set the right path for your children when it comes to adequate rest. |
