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Sleep Issues of Kids &
Teens
From
the day the baby is brought home from the hospital to the day the teenager
becomes an adult and moves out,
parents are face with the question, are they getting enough sleep? Recent
research shows that children of all ages are not getting enough sleep. The
studies also show that failure to get enough sleep can result in poor school
achievement and behavior problems. Through the ages children and teenagers
have fought with their parents about bed time and the need for sleep. On
the page you will find information on how sleep effects child and adolescent
develop. You will also learn how to help your child or teen get the right
amount of sleep.
Newborns
Newborn infants have irregular
sleep cycles, which take about 6 months to mature. While newborns sleep an
average of 16 to 17 hours per day, they may only sleep 1 or 2 hours at a time.
As children get older, the total number of hours they need for sleep decreases.
However, different children have different needs. It is normal for even a 6
month old to wake up briefly during the night, but these awakenings should only
last a few minutes and children should be able to go back to sleep easily on
their own. Further information on sleep in infants:
Toddlers & Preschoolers
Fewer minutes and hours of sleep add
up to more problems in the daytime behavior of children aged two to five,
according to new research. Two- and three-year-old children sleeping less
than 10 hours in a 24-hour period were consistently at greatest risk for
behavior problems such as oppositional or noncompliant behavior, "acting
out" behaviors, and aggression, reported the team of Northwestern
University scientists conducting the study. Preschoolers who sleep less at
night have almost 25 percent greater chance of psychiatric diagnosis, according
to the study, published in the June issue of Developmental
and Behavioral Pediatrics.
Here are some basic suggestions from the American
Academy of Pediatrics:
1. Make sure there is a quiet period before your child goes to bed. Establishing
a pleasant routine that may include reading, singing, or a warm bath. A regular
routine will help your child understand that it will soon be time to go to
sleep. If parents work late hours, it may be tempting to play with their child
before bedtime. However, active play just before bedtime may leave the child
excited and unable to sleep. Limit television viewing and video game play before
bed.
2. Try to set a consistent schedule for your child and make bedtime
the same time every night. His sleep patterns will adjust accordingly.
3. Allow your child to take a favorite teddy bear, toy, or special blanket
to bed each night. Such comforting objects often help children fall
asleep–especially if they awaken during the middle of the night. Make sure the
object is safe. A teddy bear may have a ribbon, button, or other part that may
pose a choking hazard for your child. Look for sturdy construction at the seams.
Stuffing or pellets inside the stuffed animal may also pose a danger of choking.
4. Make sure your child is comfortable. Check the temperature in your
child's room. Clothes should not restrict movement. He may like to have a drink
of water, have a night-light left on, or the door left slightly open. Try to
handle your child's needs before bedtime so that he doesn't use them to avoid
going to bed.
5. Try to avoid letting your child sleep with you. This will only make
it harder for him to learn to settle himself and fall asleep when he is alone.
6. Try not to return to your child's room every time he complains or calls
out. A child will quickly learn if you always give in to his requests at
bedtime. When your child calls out, try the following:
- Wait several seconds before answering. Your response time can be longer
each time to give your child the message that it is time for sleep. It also
gives him the opportunity to fall asleep on his own.
- Reassure your child that you are there. If you need to go into his room,
do not stimulate the child or stay too long.
- Move farther from your child's bed every time you reassure him, until you
can do this verbally without entering his room.
Further information from the AMA and AAP:
School Age Children
A recent study reported in Developmental
and Behavioral Pediatrics that 37% of the children in this age group
experience significant sleep problems. Problems may include a
reluctance to go to sleep, waking up in the middle of the night, nightmares, and
sleepwalking. In older children, bed-wetting can also become a challenge.
Children in the sixth-grade may suffer
adverse cognitive, behavioral and emotional consequences due to an increased
risk of being chronically sleep deprived, according to a new study in the May
issue of Developmental
Psychology, a journal published by the American Psychological
Association (APA).
Children vary in the amount of sleep they need and the
amount of time it takes to fall asleep. How easily they wake up and how quickly
they can resettle are also different for each child. It is important, however,
that as a parent you help your child develop good sleep habits at an early age.
The good news is that most sleep problems can be solved and your pediatrician
can help. A good place to start looking for help is in Sleep
Problems in Children by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Children's nightmares can be so recurrent and so real that
the Walt Disney Co. recently devoted a whole movie to them. In the recently
released "Monsters, Inc.," there is a parallel universe of beasts that
make a living by creeping out of the closet and into the scary dreams of little
ones.
OK,
so in reality monsters don't live inside the closet. They still, however, are
found in the dreams. But give a child an empowering image, and he just
might be able to chase that monster away, says Alan B. Siegel, a California
psychologist and author of "Dreamcatching: Every Parent's Guide to
Exploring and Understanding Children's Dreams and Nightmares." - The
Washington Times
Dreamcatching:
Every Parent's Guide to Exploring and Understanding Children's Dreams and
Nightmares - Order From Amazon.com
Teenagers
In in
the 1970's researchers at Stanford University discovered that teenagers require
more sleep, by 1 to 2 hours, than do their younger 9 and 10 year old siblings,
yet most teenagers get 1 to 2 hours less. Teenagers are the sleepiest members of
society and this sleepiness is associated with poor school performance,
increased drug and alcohol use, and increased automobile accidents. This level
of sleepiness may also play a role in the high rate of teenage suicides.
However, in addition to requiring more sleep than do 9 and 10 year old children,
or adults, teenagers typically have altered biologic rhythms which vary the time
of night teenagers sleep best and the times of day teenagers are most alert. The
timing of sleep and wake is very dependent on the sun. Humans typically sleep at
night and are awake in the daytime. By following the simple practices of
awakening at about the same time (give or take 1 to 2 hours) daily and getting
bright light and by remembering that the need for sleep increases during the
teenage years, teenagers can sleep well. If teenagers sleep well at night, they
are very likely to function well in the daytime. Please
see News
from the AAP: New Study Shows Some Sleep Problems Carry Into
Adolescence. The Sleep
Center at St Mary's Hospital in Walla Walla, Washington has an excellent
discussion on this subject.
Here are some additional resources
available from Amazon.com:
Healthy
Sleep Habits, Happy Child
Solve
Your Child's Sleep Problems
Baby
Sleep - 24 tracks to soothe you into slumber
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