According to the American
Academy of Sleep Medicine, early elementary
school children need between ten and eleven
hours of sleep each night, while elementary kids
as old as twelve still need between nine and ten
hours each night.
This can seem like an impossible number when
your child has extracurricular activities in
addition to hours of homework every evening, but
making sure your children get enough sleep is as
important as ensuring they eat healthy foods.
Sleep deprivation in childhood has consequences
far beyond feeling grumpy in the morning.
Children who do not get enough sleep produce
less interleukin-1 which can hamper their
immunity, leading to more illnesses.
Lack of sleep can also affect a child's height
and growth as the body produces its peak levels
of growth hormone during periods of sleep.
Sleep deprivation can also trigger anxiety,
depression, weight gain, diabetes, and emotional
problems.
What should you do if your child isn't getting
enough sleep?
Although your kids won't like the idea, consider
setting an earlier bedtime. This is the most
practical and easy to implement solution. Cut
down on TV viewing time to make sure there's
enough time each evening for homework, and get
your kids tucked in an hour earlier.
It's also essential to keep a regular schedule
for bedtime and wake time so their bodies learn
when they need to sleep, and when it's time to
wake.
Don't give your kids heavy meals or caffeinated
foods and drinks before bedtime as this can keep
them from falling asleep.
Make sure that your child's room is dark and
quiet once they go to bed. Invest in some thick
window coverings to keep out light, and spend
the time between their bedtime and yours doing
quiet activities.
If a sleep disorder like night terrors, sleep
walking or bed wetting is causing your child to
get less sleep, talk to your doctor. There's
likely nothing to worry about, as these issues
resolve themselves in a year or two, but in the
meantime, there are often some things you can do
to alleviate the problem.
If one of these disorders is severely affecting
your child's sleep, you might consider
homeschooling or virtual schooling until your
child outgrows the problem in order to allow
them to get the sleep they need.
As a parent, you can be part of the problem as
well as key to the solution. There are times
that you're going to have to acknowledge that
it's more important to avoid sleep deprivation
of the course of a year in your child's life
than it is to push them to get an 'A' rather
than a 'B' in fourth grade science, or adding
one more extra curricular activity to their
schedule.
Sleep is as important to a child's health and
well-being as nutrition and exercise. As parents
in an age of overstimulation, we need to ensure
our children are not suffering the effects of
sleep deprivation.
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