What is the importance of Sleep
Better yet why is sleep so important for our children?
Parents have always felt that sleep directly affects a child’s mood, and most would agree it’s got a big impact on learning and behaviour issues. Sleep is essential to good health, if a child has proper sleep they have lower risk of becoming overweight and developing diabetes
During sleep the body repacks neurotransmitters and chemicals that enable brain cells to communicate better.
Here is 7 crucial reasons all children need their daily dose of sound sleep.
1. Sleep promotes growth
Sleep supports healthy growth and development. Deep sleep triggers the body to release the hormone that promotes normal growth in children and teens. This hormone also boosts muscle mass and helps repair cells and tissues in children, teens, and adults.
2. Sleep helps the heart
Good-quality sleep decreases the work of your heart, as blood pressure and heart rate go down at night. Lack of sleep can increase insulin resistance, a risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
3. Sleep affects weight
Sleep deprivation causes changes to hormones that regulate hunger and appetite.
4. Sleep help beat germs
Sleep improves the potential ability of some of the body’s immune cells to attach to their targets. Sleep helps the immune system to remember the key features of invading germs so that it can fight them if they return in the future.
5. Sleep helps reduce injury risk
Sleep gives the body a chance to repair and regenerate from the day – muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones and growth plates need this time to recover to help prevent overuse injuries.
6. Sleep increases kids’ attention span
Children who consistently sleep fewer than ten hours a night before age 3 are three times more likely to have hyperactivity and impulsivity problems by age 6
7. Sleep boosts learning
Sleep actually triggers changes in the brain that solidify memories—strengthening connections between brain cells and transferring information from one brain region to another.
Tips on Building a Better Bedtime
The nice news in all of this: From early on, there is plenty you can do to help your kids grow up loving their zzz’s.
- Encourage self-soothing
- Create a solid routine
- Set the stage for sleep without electronics
- Read another bedtime story
- Run a sleep audit if you have concerns
This chart will give you an idea of how much sleep is needed for your child.
