Lack of Sleep Has Consequences for Your Kids

Sleep is important for your kids- and not just to make sure mommy and daddy get a little alone time. Sleep isn’t just to keep your kids from being tired and cranky, its the time when your child’s mind and body grow. Children should receive 7-9 hours of sleep every night in order to ensure they are reaping all the benefits of their sleep, but often with busy schedules and bedtime wars, children receive significantly less than that. This results in many internal effects you may not be aware of.

Lack of sleep can cause:

Disruption of the way fat cells respond to food, accelerating weight gain.

Hormone levels are disrupted, causing hunger, irritability, delayed or slowed motor function and mental process.

Sleep loss can cause lack of desire and motivation.

The brain solidifies learning and memories created through the day during sleep. If this process is cut short or delayed, the brain does not retain this information correctly or in its entirety.

Muscle fibers heal during rest and sleep, ensuring your child gains strength and coordination.

Loss of attentiveness and the ability to concentrate.

To get the best sleep, your child should avoid caffeine (soda and chocolate especially) and physical activity 4 hours before bed. A bed time is very important in order to set a sleep schedule- that way the body gets used to the schedule and gets an internal signal that its time to slow down for sleep. If your child cannot get enough sleep at night, naps are better than nothing- but the deep, uninterrupted sleep achieved at night is when most of the above processes happen, so do your best to ensure your child receives their 8 hours of ZZZ’s.

Source: www.kidglue.com

Posted in Children, Health, Sleep disorder.