Wednesday, September 10, 2014

The Importance of Sleep


Sleep: It can make or break your child’s day at school, help support or hinder his/her development, and ultimately affect almost every facet of your child’s physical, mental and emotionalwell­being. According to the National Sleep Foundation,numerousstudieshavebeen conducted proving that reduced amounts of sleep, even for over only one week’s time, impact children’s academic performance at school by negatively affecting their energy levels, cognitive abilities, attention spans, and overall happy moods.
Each child is different and therefore every child’s sleep needs will vary. As a general guideline, it is recommended that children aged 3­5 years old have 11­13 hours of sleep each night while children 5­12 years are able to manage 10­11 hours each night. Kids Health adds that most teenagers require 8 1⁄2 ­ 9 1⁄2 hours each night and losing as little as 1 hour of sleep a night can add up to an entire night without sleep by the end of the week. Sleep deprivation can be extremely dangerous ­­ especially for teenagers as “more than half of ‘asleep­at­the­wheel’ car accidents are caused by teens” (www.kidshealth.org). 

Sleep for Kids provides great tips for parents who are looking to develop great sleep habits for their children. Routine is key: let your children know their bedtime and stick with it. Develop a bedtime routine that is predictable for them and creates an atmosphere conducive to settling down at least 1 hour before bedtime. The routine should include bathing, dressing in their pajamas and brushing their teeth. Avoiding caffeine or sugary drinks and keeping activities low­key such as reading books or playing quiet games will allow children to settle down and beginrelaxing. Itisalsorecommendedthatalltoysareeitherputawayintheirproperplacesor kept out of their bedroom completely in addition to removing any electronics, cell phones, etc.

Our team at Playful By Design cares about the well­being of your children and we want for them to present their best selves each day! We are here to help you establish your bedtime routines
or organize your home life with simple tips and guidance. Give us a call and let us know how we can help! 

By Lauren Bronson (PBD Academic Coaching)

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