Sleepless Kids – Connecting with Kids

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Sleepless
Kids

It’s
6:53AM, less than 7 hours after going to bed and Sara’s up again.
Brushing her teeth, taking her shower and getting ready for a new day.
Studies suggest a teenager should get almost 10 hours of sleep every
night, but in Sara’s case?

“It
kinda depends on if I have swim practice in the morning or how late
I was studying the night before… usually it’s about six,”
admits Sara.

That’s
a four-hour shortfall a night and doctors say for kids especially that
kind of self-inflicted sleep deprivation can catch up quickly.

According
to Dr. Robert Prinsell, M.D./Sleep Specialist, “Someone that chronically
was not getting the sleep that they… need, in addition to having
poor performance in school, such as grades failing, socially they might
be a little more irritable.”

Perhaps
more seriously, sleeplessness takes a toll on motor skills and can prove
deadly when a drowsy teen tries to drive. In addition, a lack of sleep
can stunt growth since night is when a child’s brain secretes growth
hormones. But, all the evidence doesn’t put a dent in Sara’s
desire to push herself to exhaustion.

Sara
says, “Well I guess if I was gonna do this anytime, like not sleep,
this is a good time, I mean I’m healthy and I take pretty good
care of myself and I sleep when I can.”

“So
someone that chronically was not getting the sleep that they… need,
in addition to having poor performance in schools such as grades failing,
socially they might be a little more irritable.”

Dr.
Robert Prinsell

 

WHAT
PARENTS SHOULD KNOW

Is your child getting
enough sleep at night? A recent study shows that on average, teenagers
are getting about two hours less sleep a night than they need. Teens are
staying up too late and getting up too early which can lead to exhausted
and worn-out kids. They are more likely to fall asleep at school and at
greater risk for automobile accidents. According to the U.S. department
of Traffic Safety Administration, an estimated 100,000 car crashes a year
are linked to drowsy driving. Almost half involved drivers ages 15 to
24.

Let’s face it, our
children’s lives are busier than ever. They have a tremendous number of
academic, extracurricular and social pressures. Add to that, jobs and
working hard to get into a top-notch college, who can waste time sleeping?
But, its importance is crucial. Parents and teens should work together
to establish a good sleep plan and then hold to it. Sleeping in on the
weekends should be encouraged if needed, but limit the extra time sleeping
to one to two hours. Don’t do things before bed that will cause your child
to perk up. Limiting exposure to light in the late evening will keep your
child’s body clock on track.

People who continuously
get less sleep than their body needs have built up what experts call a
sleep debt. This is when the lack of sleep accumulates over time and it
takes its toll on intellectual and motor functions. If you can not get
the sleep you need every night, it is important to try and make it up
as soon as possible. Some people try to do this on the weekends or by
taking naps. But, experts say this often only makes a small dent in a
large sleep dept and the brain still feels the need to sleep through out
the day.

How Much Sleep Do
We Need?

Sleep needs
vary from person to person and by age.

  • Toddlers
    – 11 hours plus a two-hour nap during the day.
  • Preschoolers
    – 11 to 12 hours. Half of preschoolers also nap during the day.
  • School-age
    children – about 10 hours.
  • Teens – an
    average of 9.25 hours
  • Adults –
    generally 8 hours or more (needs vary)

Sources: National
Sleep Foundation; sleep researchers

You Snooze – You
Win!

Having a good
night’s sleep can only improve one’s memory and learning.
Not getting enough sleep can be dangerous to your mental and physical
health.

For some people,
getting a good night’s sleep is something they want to do but
can’t. They suffer from sleep problems such as insomnia, sleep apnea
and narcolepsy. Certainly, these issues require expert assistance
and treatment.

Assess your
sleep habits and see if you are getting everything you need out
of your night’s sleep. You might find that hitting the snooze
button is what your body needs – it can be a good thing.

Resources

USA Today
Sleep Hotline
– 800-422-8728

National Sleep Foundation
– http://www.sleepfoundation.org/
– 888-673-7533

National Heart, Lung
and Blood Institute – http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/prof/sleep/index.htm

National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration – http://www.
Nhtsa.dit.gov/people/perform/human/
For
more information on
parenting issues contact us:
Connecting with
Kids