Children Sleep Better When Parents Establish Rules and Limit Technology
Submitted by New Jersey Snoring Solutions on Sun 09/22/2019 - 09:00
Sleep is essential for a child’s development, and parents can make a difference by establishing rules around bedtime and electronic device usage. This is according to a poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation. West Orange sleep specialist Dr. Ivan Stein discusses some of the findings in this blog post.
Many Children Are Not Getting the Sleep They Need
According to the poll, nine out of 10 parents think sleep is very important for their child’s performance in school, well-being, mood, health and behavior. However, the poll found that many children are not getting a sufficient amount of sleep.
Children ages 6 to 10 should get an average of 11 hours of sleep a night. The poll found that on average, children in this age group get less than nine hours of sleep a night.
Children ages 11 to 17 should get about nine hours of sleep a night. However, according to the poll, children ages 11 and 12 get about eight hours of sleep, children ages 13 and 14 get about seven and a half of sleep, and children ages 15 to 17 get about seven hours of sleep a night.
Turning off Electronics During Sleep Helps
Three out of four children ages 6 to 17 have at least one electronic device in the bedroom while they are sleeping. The poll found that 27 percent of parents of teens who leave devices on during sleep rate their teen’s sleep as excellent. In contrast, 53 percent of patients of teens who leave devices off during sleep rate their teen’s sleep as excellent. The poll also found that children get more than half an hour more of sleep when there are rules enforced about how late they can use electronic devices.
The Bottom Line
According to the poll, children get a little over an hour more of sleep when parents enforce rules about bedtime. Consider doing the following in your household:
Setting appropriate and consistent bed times. Bed times vary based on your child’s age. Avoid letting your children stay up or sleep in too late during the weekends, summer months and on vacations.
Practicing a relaxing bedtime routine. Set the mood for sleep by having your child unwind with a relaxing activity or routine before going to bed. Possible bedtime routines include a bath after dinner and reading a few chapters from a book.
Enforce a curfew for electronic device usage. Have your child turn off all electronic devices at least an hour before bedtime. It’s very important to lead by example: you too should turn off your devices before bedtime.
For more sleeping tips, please schedule a consultation with Dr. Stein. Contact New Jersey Sleep Apnea Solutions by calling (855) WHY-SNORE or 855-949-7667.
