Worth sleeping over it!

// September 12th, 2013 // Uncategorized

As a parent and a teacher, I attach a lot of importance to  routine. I simply believe that we can get a lot done if we start off by following a routine and adhering to it. The direction of this narrative is not on routine, atleast not this time, but an off shot of it which is getting enough sleep time every night.

 Research shows that children under the age of 8 require 10 hours and those above 8 require 8 hours of continuous sleep every night, the lack of it causing a host of challenges starting from the curse of the modern age gadgets- obesity to the more disturbing behavioural adversities.

 I wonder why we don’t register the simple math

Lack of sleep= Obesity+ General malaise+ irritability

Obesity+ General malaise+ irritability= Poor performance

Therefore, Lack of sleep= Poor performance

 I have noticed that it has become a viscious circle

 vid art 1

We can break this circle by adopting very simple measures. It just takes a week of conscious effort to regulate the sleep pattern of your child especially the under 8s. Get them to bed 15 minutes earlier than their usual sleep time, continue reducing the time by 15 minutes everyday till you get to 8 p.m. Two weeks later it will take you an effort to keep them awake. Imagine what the extra 2 hours minus your kids can do to your schedule, it is a win- win situation for all sides.

Let me leave the ones keen on more research articles with the following lines…

  • Until recently, the effects of partial sleep deprivation have been seriously underestimated.
  • We know, based on common sense, that inadequate sleep makes kids more moody, more impulsive, and less able to concentrate.
  • We’ve known for more than 20 years that sleep deprivation makes it difficult to learn (Journal of Experimental Psychology, Mar 1975).
  • Recent research has verified that chronic poor sleep results in daytime tiredness, difficulties with focused attention, low threshold to express negative emotion (irritability and easy frustration), and difficulty modulating impulses and emotions (Seminars in Pediatric Neurology, Mar 1996). These are the same symptoms that can earn kids the diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD, popularly known as ADD).
  • How do we know how much sleep our children need? First and foremost, every child is different. In general, toddlers and preschoolers sleep approximately 12 hours per day with one nap. School-age children need less, about 10 hours per day. Most preteens and teens need around 9 hours of sleep per day – though we all know that many teens get much less! These are just averages!

http://www.thehindu.com/health/medicine-and-research/article3374176.ece

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