Sleep is the time to restore itself and for children's bodies to recharge and retain the information they have learned throughout the day. During deep non-REM sleep, the body's energy is restored, growth and repair occurs, and important brain development hormones are released. 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, mood, resilience, vocabulary acquisition, and learning and memory.
In young children, napping seems to be necessary for memory consolidation, executive attention, and motor skill development. Sleep also has important effects on growth, especially in early childhood. Reliable source: National Library of Medicine, Biotechnology Information. The National Center for Biotechnology Information promotes science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information.
View source. Your body and brain need sleep. During sleep, the brain sorts and stores information, replaces chemicals, and even solves problems while you sleep. Sleep can help you feel better, think more clearly, and focus better.
It gives you energy to complete tasks and can make you more alert. While it's tempting to let your kids sleep late on the weekends, this can alter their sleep schedule and make it harder for them to wake up during the week. Research suggests that 1 in 3 children will sleepwalk before age 13, and most episodes occur in preadolescence. If your child has daytime sleepiness or behavior problems at school that you think might be related to lack of sleep, you should definitely visit the pediatrician.
As all parents know, a child who sleeps little can fluctuate between being moody and hyperactive, with effects that may resemble those of ADHD. Reliable source: National Library of Medicine, Biotechnology Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information promotes science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. The American Academy of Pediatrics estimates that sleep problems affect 25 to 50 percent of children and 40 percent of adolescents. Most adults don't get enough sleep, and this can be especially true for parents who have to juggle multiple tasks and work expectations.
Young children's sleep problems are aggravated by separation anxiety and the fear of being left with nothing, which results in delaying techniques and stubbornness at bedtime. That's right, sleeping too little can affect growth and your immune system, which fights germs, preventing you from getting sick. Through a combination of sleep hygiene, age-appropriate routines, and special attention to any sleep disorder, you can help your child get enough rest to grow up healthy and strong. This is concerning because lack of sleep in early childhood has been linked to allergic rhinitis.
Treatment for restless legs syndrome at night in children includes proper sleep hygiene and stretching before bed. See the source for a child, so events such as the appearance of a new sibling, teething, an illness, a different place, a new caregiver, a change of schedule, or minor complaints, such as allergies, colds, and ear infections, can affect your child's sleep. I wouldn't recommend giving your child any “sleep medication” without first consulting the doctor, as many of these medications aren't safe for children.
