Hi Exceptional Parents! It’s me, Dr. Eboni. Let’s talk about the importance of your kiddo getting enough sleep and what may happen when he or she doesn’t. Lack of adequate sleep is common in children and adults. Do you wonder if your child is getting enough sleep? Do you wonder if your child’s behavior may be improved if his sleep were better? In fact, at least 25% of children experience challenges with sleep during childhood and/or adolescence. The amount of sleep that a child requires decreases with age with newborns needing the most, between 12-18 hours daily, and teens needing the least, between 8.5-9.5 hours daily. It is important to remember that adequate sleep is essential for your child’s healthy development and behavior. One way to help determine if your child is getting enough sleep is to monitor his or her behavior and overall mood.
Here are 7 problems sleep depleted children and their families may experience.
- Increased challenges with behavior including hyperactivity, decreased impulse control, excessive tantrums
- Impaired learning and poorer school performance
- Decreased attention span and concentration
- Chronic sleep disruption can stunt growth
- Negative mood changes- particularly an irritable or cranky mood
- Parents and siblings also often have disrupted sleep. The entire household can be tired.
- Increased family distress and diminished quality of life.
Having a consistent daily routine in place, including a predictable sleep routine, will help keep your child and your entire family more organized and this is highly encouraged. Implementing a solid sleep routine should involve having consistent wake and bedtimes every day including weekends. Also avoiding electronics, rigorous play, and caffeine around bedtime helps. Some flexibility may be needed especially while the family is on vacation, has a late night out, or during the summer, but you should try to ensure that wake and bedtimes are no more than one hour later than typical.
If your child has difficulty with sleep, all is not lost. Some sleep challenges resolve on their own without intervention while others require treatment. Many sleep problems can drastically improve quickly with some behavioral changes. These include improvements such as those noted above. Certainly, parents providing their children with structure, routine, and consistency throughout the day often are able to carry this over into bedtime. Establishing healthy sleep habits while your child is young may help to avoid later behavioral challenges such as bedtime wars when he or she is older. While this requires time and effort especially early on, many parents find that having a happy and well-rested child makes it well worth it!
Every child and every family is different and may have different needs, schedules, and cultural expectations. However, in general, having healthy sleep habits and maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, including age-appropriate and consistent wake and bedtimes, having a predictable bedtime routine, and ensuring that your child is receiving enough sleep are important for all children and helps to ensure that your child has healthier development and behavior.
