Jami Lund serves on the Centralia School Board of Directors and is an education policy analyst for the Freedom Foundation.
Soon it will be time for school to start, and families will make that transition to their school schedules. The most important part of a schedule for youngsters is sleep time, and surveys show that most do not get enough rest.
Research is abundant about the importance of sufficient sleep for children’s physical growth and mental health. Late bedtimes have even been linked to obesity and diabetes.
Not only do poor sleep habits harm basic health, but daily life is also impacted. Those who are sleep-deprived have a lower threshold for irritability, frustration and impatience. Irregular bedtimes are linked to children’s behavioral problems and attention span deficiencies.
The symptoms of sleep deprivation are nearly identical to those of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Certainly some and perhaps many children are mislabeled with ADHD when the real problem is chronic, partial sleep deprivation.
These traits result in personal stresses, discipline problems and poor interpersonal skills. Some studies have even identified sleep deprivation’s connection to higher risk-taking behavior, depression and suicide among young adults.
As teachers know, proper sleep is critically important for learning.
In addition to the behavioral problems described, mental acuity is lessened when young people do not get enough sleep. Students’ memory skills are impacted by insufficient deep sleep. Research has even demonstrated that sleep deprivation also slows adolescents’ information processing speeds. As a result, students who have lower grades are commonly found to be getting less sleep each night than higher scoring peers.
So how much is enough?
According to the National Sleep Foundation:
Preschoolers (3-5): 10-13 hours
School age children (6-13): 9-11 hours
Teenagers (14-17): 8-10 hours
Unfortunately, the many distractions these days and the decline of structured lifestyles have created a generation which is alarmingly sleep-deprived. A National Sleep Foundation poll found 59 percent of sixth- through eighth-graders and 87 percent of high school students were getting less than the recommended hours of sleep on school nights.
The educational concerns about student sleep habits have led the Seattle Public Schools to start school later for students this fall, but responsible parenting could address the problem.
After all, adults of the family are responsible for children’s well-being, and they ought to what is best for children despite objections. The sleep survey also discovered that children of parents who enforced rules around bedtimes slept an average of 1.1 hours longer than children whose parents did not have rules.
The experts offer the following advice for improving sleep habits.
Establish a consistent routine. Have a bedtime—even on weekends—which assures the recommended hours of sleep. A “wind-down” time before bed could include reading, brushing teeth and dimming lights. Children can feel that going to bed means they will miss out on something, so the routine should be for the whole household.
Children should not eat or exercise within a few hours of bedtime. Likewise, make sure youngsters avoid caffeine late in the day. TV, computer and telephone are also stimulating and should be avoided in the hour before bedtime. Stick to quiet, calm activities, and sleep will come much more easily.
Make the child’s bedroom as conducive to sleep as possible. The room should be dark, cool and free of electronic equipment. Even teens who might have a harder time transitioning to sleep should still establish a habit of retiring to a bedroom, and perhaps allow reading to replace screen time at bedtime.
Treat sleep like it is important for its own sake. This means don’t make sharing a bed with a child part of the sleep routine. Also do not use sleep as a punishment, for it sends the wrong message.
Creating good sleep habits for children may require a bit more of the family, but good parenting is hard work. The payoff of a life of health and success for your children is worth it. Improving the child’s enjoyment and success at school is also a welcome result. Studies show that increasing your child’s sleep by as little as half an hour can dramatically improve school performance.
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Jami Lund serves on the Centralia School Board of Directors and is an education policy analyst for the Freedom Foundation.
