The importance of sleep for children — how many hours is enough or too much?

August 1, 2017

| Emma Right

Most of us parents instinctively know our children need their allotted amount of sleep according to their ages and also level of activity throughout the day.

But how much sleep is too much, and how many hours should a school age child between the ages of 6 to 13 have anyway?

Although I am not an M.D. I can tell you from experience that you can tell off the bat when a child is sleep deprived.

Strangely enough a sleep deprived child may act super active, or be the exact opposite and display extreme lethargy, or be bouncing off the walls.

Other clues are them acting cranky or honery, or just unable to focus. Then there’s the sniffles. i can’t tell you how many times my kids came down with the cold because they lacked proper and sufficient sleep.

Here are some helpful tips for school children when you a e dealing with sleep issues.

Generally, school children between the ages 6–13 will need approximately 9–11 hours of sleep a day. so if you child is unable to get to sleep early enough look at the environment he’s accustomed to before sleep. is he watching too much tV or gaming an hour before he’s supposed tog et the shut-eye?

Studies have shown that children who watch TV before bed often struggle to sleep Or they can have bad sleeping patterns which can often lead to not getting the required amount of sleep.

You may feel that not getting enough sleep is the least of your problems. but did you know that studies show that sleep deprivation lead to all sorts of behavioral issues, not to mention a child’s ability to do well in school due to concentration problem? ADHD, mood swings, and irritability have been linked to sleep deprivation.

So why stacks the odds against you and your child?

I thought it’d be helpful to look at some effects of sleep deprivation so you can be aware of the warning signs.

Behavioral problems

Some say that childhood is the foundation for a person’s personality and how they will act as an adult. Therefore if a child acts irritable and struggles to be positive due to lack of sleep, they may continue to do so in the future, affecting their social relationships in the long run.

Development

From the time you are born to adulthood you are constantly learning and absorbing skills and information at a rapid rate. The amount we learn before the age of ten is phenomenal. So, it is vital that children have good sleep foundations so they can learn effectively.

Sleep studies show that the brain needs a certain amount of sleep to learn tasks that you have completed through the day and to consolidate memories stored in the hippocampus.

Studies on children and sleep have found links between poor grades at school and sleep deprivation, due to the child’s in ability to a concentrate. The ability for children to learn effectively is linked to the quality of sleep that they get. So why ruin the chances of your child excelling just because she lacks sleep?

Health problems

Sleep studies have shown that lack of sleep can lead to a low immune system, which can be highly dangerous to children as they are at higher risk of illness and disease. Why? Because sleep allows your child’s body to recharge from the activities of the day.

Diabetes is thought to be caused by lack of sleep as studies have found that the way in which the body processes glucose is altered. And the sad thing is that this life-long condition often leads to other illnesses such as kidney failure, cardiovascular disease and visual impairment and obesity or weight loss.

Lack of sleep can also result in weight gain or loss. Studies have found that if you have less sleep, then you are more likely to be obese. This is due to a lack of leptin (a chemical that makes you feel full) and an increase in ghrelin (a hunger stimulating hormone).

The body hasn’t had time to recharge and therefore, we may feel the need to eat more food to give us energy and exercise is often reduced as energy levels are low.

Consequently, sleep for a child is important and should be monitored as well as behavioral and learning development.

So, what do you need to look out for?

Some Behavioral signs to take note of are: irritable moods, being quieter than usual or acting out, or anger for no apparent reason. It’s true that signs such as these may not seem unusual, however take note of the behaviors and try to decipher whether it is hormonal or due to sleep deprivation.

Physical signs may help you determine whether a child is sleep deprived. These signs are:

Excessive yawning, lack of energy and catching more colds or bugs than usual. The immune system can be significantly affected by lack of sleep and affect our health.

When we don’t get the right amount of sleep, our immune systems can weaken and be unable to ward off disease and illness. This can be potentially dangerous to children as they are at much larger risk since their immune systems are constantly fighting off new bacteria.

Consequently if you find your child becoming ill frequently contact your GP and monitor whether they are getting enough sleep.

How to prevent sleep deprivation?

There are several ways to make sure a child doesn’t become sleep deprived and these are:

1. Ensuring their sleeping environment and routine are controlled.
A sleep routine is vitally important to both adults and children and is often a determining factor whether someone sleeps well or not. Making sure a child has a routine bedtime will help them relax before they go to sleep, aiding the sleep process ensuring they sleep more deeply.

I have found reading to a child, even when they already know how to read for themselves, can be an effective (and meaningful) sleep routine.

2. Removing any external distractions such as TV, internet and mobile devices that might keep the brain too alert.

Before you sleep the mind should naturally wind down. However, if a child doesn’t have a peaceful atmosphere or a set routine then they can often become irritable or too alert to fall to sleep. Studies have found that families that don’t have set routines often suffer from sleep deprivation and this can lead to behavioral or learning difficulties. Which is why I highly recommedn reading as a bedtime routine. It calms a child down, and prepares her mentally that sleep is the next thign on the agenda.

3. Making sure their sleeping environment is comfortable.

Buying a good quality mattress and bed covers that are comfortable can help aid in sleep. Furthermore if your child has allergies then buying hypoallergenic sheets may prevent them waking up through the night due to sneezing or itching.

Furthermore, making sure the room is cool and free from light helps promote sleep as the body clock naturally winds down for sleep when it is dark. Recent sleep studies have also shown and recommend that a totally blacked out room devoid of all light helps a person have better quality sleep.

I can’t stress enough how I (and my once sleep deprived children) have paid the price — either constantly falling ill, or getting cranky — due to their lack of sleep.

Sleep is incredibly important to children to ensure they are alert and recharged to learn and develop emotionally, cognitively and physically. In fact, after years of poor sleep we have learned to invest in eye patches, ear buds, black-out curtains, and even a white sound machine that helps us get to sleep and stay asleep for longer.