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Featured Article: "Are Your Kids Getting
Enough Sleep?"
By
Jennifer Wolf
As we gear up for the back-to-school routine,
one thing we need to look at is whether our kids
are really getting enough rest. According
to the American Academy of Pediatrics Guide
to Your Child’s Sleep, preschoolers need
10-12 hours of sleep in a 24-hour period.
That means that if your child takes a one hour
nap, he or she needs 9-11 hours of sleep at
night. A child who doesn't nap at all
needs to get the full 10-12 hours overnight.
Now, before you say, "My child doesn't
really need that much sleep," take a look at
some of the symptoms of sleep deprivation in
children. Does your child:
- Overreact emotionally (i.e. "fall apart"
easily)
- Have difficulty concentrating
- Wake often during the night
- Seem unable to control his/her behavior
- Grow increasingly irritable as the day
progresses
These are just a few of the most common
behaviors our kids exhibit when they're not
getting enough sleep on a consistent basis.
The good news is that making even a few small
changes can have a big impact on sleep patterns
for the entire family.
To help your children get more sleep:
- Develop a consistent bedtime routine,
which includes some "winding down"
activities to signal sleep in your
children's brains.
- Examples of "winding down" activities
may include taking a warm bath, reading a
story together, and sharing family prayer
time.
- Keep the TV off after dinner, and avoid
letting your kids fall asleep watching TV.
This can inadvertently stimulate their
brains and disrupt their sleep.
- If you allow your kids to read in bed,
listen to an audio CD, or play quietly at
bedtime, develop a signal for the final
"lights out." For example, you might
set a kitchen timer for ten to fifteen
minutes, or you might let your kids know
that you'll be back in a short time to turn
the lights off. Without a trigger for
actually going to sleep, many kids will stay
awake longer than necessary to "quiet down."
- Make the bedtime routine a consistent
priority. During the time that you're
working on making this a real habit, you
make have to cut short some other evening
activities or avoid running errands after
dinner.
Finally, pay attention to your successes as
you work to develop a bedtime routine that works
for your family. With some effort and
creativity, you'll find that not only are your
kids sleeping better, but they're better able to
control their own emotions and behavior, too.
References:
Cohen, George J., M.D., F.A.A.P. (Ed.). (1999).
American Academy of Pediatrics Guide to Your
Child’s Sleep. New York: Villard.
Jennifer Wolf is a Certified Parent Coachâ
and the owner of
Pathways Parent Coach, LLC. She also
writes for the
Single
Parents site on
About.com's Parenting Network.
Jennifer and her husband, Christopher, have two
children, ages 8 and 4.
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