The Importance of Sleep

The American Academy of Pediatrics estimates that sleep problems affect 25 to 50 percent of children and 40 percent of adolescents. Sleep plays a crucial role in the development of young minds.

In addition to having a direct effect on happiness, research shows that sleep impacts alertness and attention, cognitive performance (e.g., how quickly we respond to questions, how accurate our responses are, and problem-solving skills with peers), mood, resiliency (e.g., getting emotional when a problem arises versus utilizing coping skills and recovering quickly), vocabulary acquisition, learning, and memory.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) recommends the following number of hours of sleep per night:

Ages 3-5: 10-13 hours

Ages 6-12: 9-11 hours

Ages 13-18: 10-12 hour

Research shows that a consistent bedtime routine is helpful for making sure your child gets enough sleep. A typical bedtime routine might include:

• Turning off computers, TV screens, video games, and other bright lights

• Putting on pajamas

• Brushing teeth

• Reading a light book

• Bath

Daytime habits also affect sleep. You can promote restful slumber in your children by following basic sleep hygiene rules:

It’s important to give your child regular exercise, but do not try to exhaust them to help them sleep better at night. More often than not, this will make them overtired and actually make it harder for them to fall asleep.

To strengthen the association between the bedroom and sleep, it’s best to have them do homework and other activities that aren’t relaxing in another room when that’s possible.