Are your children sleeping enough?

Sleep plays an important role in everyone’s physical health. For example, sleep is involved in healing and repair of your heart and blood vessels. Ongoing sleep deficiency is linked to an increased risk of heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and stroke. For children it is all the more important to sleep as it directly impacts their physical and mental development.

 A sleep cycle comprises of the NREM (non rapid eye movement) and REM (rapid eye movement). The NREM is the quiet sleep where blood supply to muscles is increased, energy is restored, tissue growth and repair occur and important hormones are released for growth and development. 

The REM is active sleep, when our brains are active and dreaming occurs, our bodies become immobile, breathing and heart rates are irregular. Babies spend 50% of their time in each phase and the sleep cycle is about 50 minutes. At about 6 months of age, REM sleep comprises about 30% of sleep. By the time children reach pre-school age, the sleep cycle is about 90 minutes.

A study by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine found that four-year-olds with a regular bedtime scored better in tests to assess developmental progress than those without a regular bedtime. It is important for your children to sleep and wake up every day at the same time. I found this sleep wake chart online , showing what time your child should sleep if he or she has to wake up at a particular time. I also found another chart, telling you the required number of hours your child should sleep in a day.        

	Wake up time
	6:00 AM	6.15 AM	6.30 AM	6.45 AM	7:00 AM	7.15 AM	7.30 AM
Age	Sleeping Time
5	6.45 PM	7.00 PM	7.15 PM	7.30 PM	7.30 PM	8.00 PM	8.15 PM
6	7.00 PM	7.15 PM	7.30 PM	7.30 PM	8.00 PM	8.15 PM	8.30 PM
7	7.15 PM	7.15 PM	7.30 PM	8.00 PM	8.15 PM	8.30 PM	8.45 PM
8	7.30 PM	7.30 PM	8.00 PM	8.15 PM	8.30 PM	8.45 PM	9.00 PM
9	7.45 PM	8.00 PM	8.15 PM	8.30 PM	8.45 PM	9.00 PM	9.15 PM
10	8.00 PM	8.15 PM	8.30 PM	8.45 PM	9.00 PM	9.15 PM	9.30 PM
11	8.15 PM	8.30 PM	8.45 PM	9.00 PM	9.15 PM	9.30 PM	9.45 PM
12	8.30 PM	8.30 PM	8.45 PM	9.00 PM	9.15 PM	9.30 PM	9.45 PM

                                           

                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

                                     

 It is difficult to have infants fall asleep at the same time at night or have a punctual or structured sleep-wake cycle. But as they grow older it is easier to sleep-train them and have a proper bed-time routine. My 4 year old son and I have our bedtime ritual - before going to bed we discuss the events of the day and then we each read a story out to each other. Then we snuggle into each other and I tell him that he is the best boy in the world and that I love him so much.

 I feel it’s not just the quantity of sleep that is important but the also the quality. The melatonin hormone which induces sleep in our body is only released when it is dark. So it is important for your child to sleep in a dark, quiet and undisturbed space. They say all your memories, growth of the body and repair happens when you sleep. It is thus very important for your child to sleep and wake-up at the same time every day. Studies suggest that children, who sleep well, score better grades, lower their chances of obesity, blood pressure and heart conditions, and have less behavioral problems. Studies have shown that lack of sleep disrupts the development of a child’s brain and hampers it's day to day functioning. 

To get good quality sleep, children need to be encouraged to exercise for at least 60 minutes a day, cutting out caffeinated drinks from their diet. Not overeating before bedtime can ensure that kids have a good quality sleep. Technology is another aspect which can interfere with a child’s sleep. Most devices emit rays which interfere with a child’s sleep, I put myself to the test as well – if I am browsing on my phone before going to bed it takes me longer to go to asleep versus when I avoid looking at my phone.

 I feel another reason for sleep deprivation in children is that there is so much competition in the world today that we want our kids to excel in most arenas; unfortunately there are only 24 hrs in a day, but we want them to do soccer, pursue hobbies, study etc and so how we do that is by impinging on their sleep time, not realizing the dire consequences in the future. Here are some tips to follow so that your child is more restful at night.

·        No gadgets at least an hour before bed, if your children really wants to watch something let them watch it on the television, even though it emit rays it is at a distance.

·        Have a bedtime routine before going to bed, a warm shower, a story or soothing music any restful calming activity.

·        No high sugar or caffeinated drinks an hour or two before going to bed.

·        Keep all devices out of the room or keep them on aero plane mode.

·        Try and keep the television and wifi router out of the bedroom.

·        Don’t sleep with the lights on, ensure you room is light proof. Lights interfere with the release of melatonin.

·        The room temperature should be comfortable – not hot or cold. Preferably dress your child in an onsie or a full sleeved night suit so even if your child kicks off his blanket at night he is still not cold.

·        Don’t let your child drink too much water before going to bed, to prevent many trips to the washroom.

·        Your child shouldn’t sleep right after dinner; there should be at least a half a hour gap.

It is an established fact that children who sleep longer have better attention spans; children who sleep less are more fretful and socially demanding and hyperactive. 

Here, I would like to quote James Loehr – “Exhaustion makes wimps out of all of us.”                                                                                                                                                    

                                                                                                                                                                 

Mother’s are a part of a scientific experiment to prove that sleep is not a crucial part of human life - anon