How Much Sleep Does Your Child Need?

[jared edward]

Is your child getting enough sleep? How can you tell and what can you
do about it?
The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) released a survey which estimated
that one-third of toddlers and preschoolers and nearly one in four
school aged children aren't getting enough sleep.
The consequences for lack of sleep are hardly unknown to parents who
have themselves been victims of sleepless nights during the early
childhood years. But what are the specific problems that affect
children who are lacking sleep?
SLEEP AND MEMORY:
In studies with adults it has been shown that a lack of sleep affects
attention and arousal. We are all aware of the problems caused by
drowsy drivers who have been at the wheel too long and veer off the
road or cause deadly accidents.
In a study with children who were restricted in sleep they did not
score as well on memory, attention and learning tests the next day.
SLEEP AND BEHAVIOR:
In an article on children and sleeping problems by Today's Parent
there was a quote from John Bates, a developmental psychologist. In
two studies trying to find a link between sleep deficit and behaviour
problems he stated that "it could be that sleep deficit causes the
behavior problems or it could be that behaviour problems, and all that
goes along with that, could make it harder for children to settle down
for sleep, or that some unknown problem is causing both the sleep and
behaviour problems."
Whichever is the case he still claims that in some cases they have had
success and achieved dramatic behavioral improvements simply by
increasing a child's sleep.
Although this should not be considered a solution for serious behavior
problems, if your child seems unduly irritable, over-active or cranky
you may find putting them to bed an hour earlier will create a drastic
improvement.
HOW MUCH SLEEP DO THEY NEED?
Each individual has their own needs, but generally speaking the NSF
suggests children three to five should get 11 to 13 hours of sleep
(including naps); five to 12 year olds need 10 to 11 hours and teens
13 to 18 should try to get 8.5 to 9.25 hours per night.
If you suspect a problem related to sleep then consider whether you
notice if the problem is connected. Is your child more irritable and
cranky late in the day? Is she often hard to waken or difficult to get
to sleep in the first place? Does she waken frequently during the
night?
If you feel the issue is sleep related and putting your child to bed
earlier is not working, talk to your doctor about other steps you can
take. It is a long term benefit to diagnose sleeping problems early
on.
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