Every Thursday is
designated “CST” day in my office. CST
stands for “Collaborative Support Team.” That’s just a fancy term for a group
of caring adults getting together to discuss challenges that a child may be
having in the classroom, and then coming up with ideas to help solve
problems. Many times, the team discovers, after discussion, that a major contributor to a child’s challenges (academic or behavioral) in the
classroom is sleep deprivation.
Does this sound
familiar?
- The only way I can get Carlos to sleep is if he sleeps with me.
- Miranda insists on having the television on in her room in order to sleep.
- Roberto tosses and turns in bed for hours before finally falling to sleep.
- Cynthia will not get up in the morning.
- Eduardo won’t go to bed until I go to bed which is about midnight.
If you have
experienced some of these problems with your child, you are not alone. Many parents have problems getting their
children to go to bed at night but most don’t understand that the problems of
lack of sleep are generally carried into the school day. Research shows that children who don’t get
enough sleep frequently exhibit or are at risk for:
- Poor academic performance and lower grades in school
- Lower test scores
- Difficulties with focus, attention, and concentration
- Fatigue or lethargy in the classroom
- Hyperactivity in the classroom
- Irritability with peers and adults
- Emotional problems such as depression, anxiety, sadness, anger, or worry
- Weight problems that lead to obesity and risk of diabetes
- Frequent illness and autoimmune problems
Sleep is one of the
basic nutrients in life just like food.
I have never heard a mother or father in my office say, “I really don’t
care too much about feeding my child.”
If you think about sleep in the same manner that you think about food,
you gain a new perspective on its importance. So how much sleep does your child
really need? The Centers for Disease Control
and the National Sleep Foundation agree on the following guidelines:
- Newborns (up to 2 months): Infants have the widest range: from 10 ½ to 18 hours a day is normal
- Babies (Up to 1 year): Sleep patterns should fall into nap (1 – 4 naps a day) and bedtime patterns (9 – 12 hours a night).
- Toddlers (ages 1 – 3): 12 – 14 hours per day that includes one midday nap
- Preschoolers (ages 3 – 5): Most preschoolers need 11 – 13 hours a night and the need for naps diminishes by about age five.
- Elementary Age Children (ages 5 – 12): 10 – 11 hours a night
- Teens (ages 13 and up): 9 – 9 ½ hours a night
So these are the
guidelines. What if your children
haven’t read the guidelines and have some very bad sleep habits? What’s a
parent to do?
1) Declare it a new day and be the boss. Healthy sleep habits start at an early age but that doesn’t mean it’s too late to set new guidelines for sleep. Set a bedtime for your child and follow through. It may be difficult in the beginning, but don’t give in. You have to outlast your whining, complaining child because you are the adult and you know that a healthier night’s sleep will pay off in the long run. If your child argues, say “I love you too much to argue” and calmly tuck him/her in.
2) Keep bedtimes (and getting up times) consistent. Consistent bedtimes, even on the weekend, will help keep your child’s body clock in a healthy routine. Inconsistent bedtimes are like homemade jetlag. Research says that staying up three hours later on the weekend is equivalent to flying across three time zones every weekend.
3) Prepare your child for bedtime. Give him/her warnings. For example, “just a reminder, lights off in 30 minutes.” Then remind them again at ten minutes. Children like warnings so that they can finish their activities whether it is play or work.
4) Establish pre-bedtime routines. Warm baths, brushing teeth, getting jamies on 30 minutes prior to bed, listening to calming instrumental music, or reading a bedtime story are all routines that will help children wind down and get ready to sleep.
5) Choose the right bedtime story. Reading to your child is very important but
choosing a book before bedtime that helps prepare their brains
is very important and some books can cause their brains to “gear-up” instead of calm down. For example, books that include adventure, lots of action, loud noises, concept books that teach, or books that require kids to follow directions like stomping, jumping or otherwise might prove to have the opposite effect. Here is a link for some of the best bedtime books for kids:
http://childrensbooksguide.com/bedtime
6) Don’t let homework be a “right before bedtime”
activity. Homework is supposed to turn the brain on and
keep children thinking. If their brains
are in active mode right before bedtime, they will have a hard time turning
their brains off when it’s time to curl up under the blankets.
7) Turn off all technology. Statistics show that 77 percent of children use television as part of their pre-bedtime routine. While it might seem that the sitting still that is required for media use should help children wind down for bedtime, research shows that the brightness of the screens on televisions, video games, and cell phones can delay both the necessary drop in core body temperature and melatonin production that makes it necessary for the body to fall asleep. This could delay a child’s sleep onset for up to two hours.
8) Avoid anything with caffeine or sugar as an ingredient at least four hours before bedtime. Caffeine is a stimulant and makes children more alert and energetic, the last thing you want your child to be right before bedtime. Read labels of the foods that your child consumes before bedtime but some examples of high caffeine/sugar foods are sodas, tea, cocoa, chocolate, popsicles, candy, ice cream, frozen yogurt, or cakes. In addition, some cold-relief medications include a healthy dose of caffeine so read the labels of any over-the-counter medications.
9) Keep your child’s room cool and keep the technology out of the bedroom. The hormones and rhythm system that helps regulate our sleep are temperature sensitive and light sensitive. A room that is too warm can slow the beginning of sleep and disrupt that important REM (the deepest) sleep. There is also new research that shows that the light of a television or the constant “lighting up” of a cell phone when a new message or notification arrives, can keep a sleeping child (or adult) from achieving or maintaining REM sleep. Many teens tell me that they sleep with their cell phones right next to them and many socialize all night on Facebook or through texting so is it any surprise that they come to school tired and not ready for learning?
10) If your child has a difficult time falling asleep, try different techniques until you find something that works. For example, a) tuck him/her in with the promise of checking in on them in ten minutes if the problem is being separated; b) turn on mellow, classical, or instrumental music. Music with words sometimes stimulates the mind;
c) Use “monster repellant” (spray bottle of colored water) to run the monsters out of the room;
d) Teach your child to use relaxation techniques. Here’s a link to the “I Can’t Fall Asleep Game.” It’s a simple to use routine that can help kids learn to relax and fall asleep on their own:
http://fit.webmd.com/jr/recharge/article/falling-asleep-activity
11) Consult your pediatrician or a sleep specialist if your child has continued problems that don’t respond to your interventions. There are children who have sleep disorders like sleep apnea, nightmares, restless leg syndrome and night waking. In addition, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, 16% of kids snore a few times a week and can be cause for concern. Children’s snoring is not like adult snoring and doctors now believe that even a little snoring could be a major cause for concern because children’s developing brains can be deprived of oxygen. Bottom line is that if your child continues to have problems with sleep despite your efforts to implement healthy guidelines, see a doctor.
Healthy sleep habits
start at an early age and lead to a happy disposition, positive self-esteem,
and success in school and peer relationships.
But it’s never too late to start.
If your child has unhealthy sleep habits, begin this school year on a
new note. In the words of one of America’s founding fathers:1) Declare it a new day and be the boss. Healthy sleep habits start at an early age but that doesn’t mean it’s too late to set new guidelines for sleep. Set a bedtime for your child and follow through. It may be difficult in the beginning, but don’t give in. You have to outlast your whining, complaining child because you are the adult and you know that a healthier night’s sleep will pay off in the long run. If your child argues, say “I love you too much to argue” and calmly tuck him/her in.
2) Keep bedtimes (and getting up times) consistent. Consistent bedtimes, even on the weekend, will help keep your child’s body clock in a healthy routine. Inconsistent bedtimes are like homemade jetlag. Research says that staying up three hours later on the weekend is equivalent to flying across three time zones every weekend.
3) Prepare your child for bedtime. Give him/her warnings. For example, “just a reminder, lights off in 30 minutes.” Then remind them again at ten minutes. Children like warnings so that they can finish their activities whether it is play or work.
4) Establish pre-bedtime routines. Warm baths, brushing teeth, getting jamies on 30 minutes prior to bed, listening to calming instrumental music, or reading a bedtime story are all routines that will help children wind down and get ready to sleep.
choosing a book before bedtime that helps prepare their brains
http://childrensbooksguide.com/bedtime
7) Turn off all technology. Statistics show that 77 percent of children use television as part of their pre-bedtime routine. While it might seem that the sitting still that is required for media use should help children wind down for bedtime, research shows that the brightness of the screens on televisions, video games, and cell phones can delay both the necessary drop in core body temperature and melatonin production that makes it necessary for the body to fall asleep. This could delay a child’s sleep onset for up to two hours.
8) Avoid anything with caffeine or sugar as an ingredient at least four hours before bedtime. Caffeine is a stimulant and makes children more alert and energetic, the last thing you want your child to be right before bedtime. Read labels of the foods that your child consumes before bedtime but some examples of high caffeine/sugar foods are sodas, tea, cocoa, chocolate, popsicles, candy, ice cream, frozen yogurt, or cakes. In addition, some cold-relief medications include a healthy dose of caffeine so read the labels of any over-the-counter medications.
9) Keep your child’s room cool and keep the technology out of the bedroom. The hormones and rhythm system that helps regulate our sleep are temperature sensitive and light sensitive. A room that is too warm can slow the beginning of sleep and disrupt that important REM (the deepest) sleep. There is also new research that shows that the light of a television or the constant “lighting up” of a cell phone when a new message or notification arrives, can keep a sleeping child (or adult) from achieving or maintaining REM sleep. Many teens tell me that they sleep with their cell phones right next to them and many socialize all night on Facebook or through texting so is it any surprise that they come to school tired and not ready for learning?
10) If your child has a difficult time falling asleep, try different techniques until you find something that works. For example, a) tuck him/her in with the promise of checking in on them in ten minutes if the problem is being separated; b) turn on mellow, classical, or instrumental music. Music with words sometimes stimulates the mind;
c) Use “monster repellant” (spray bottle of colored water) to run the monsters out of the room;
d) Teach your child to use relaxation techniques. Here’s a link to the “I Can’t Fall Asleep Game.” It’s a simple to use routine that can help kids learn to relax and fall asleep on their own:
http://fit.webmd.com/jr/recharge/article/falling-asleep-activity
11) Consult your pediatrician or a sleep specialist if your child has continued problems that don’t respond to your interventions. There are children who have sleep disorders like sleep apnea, nightmares, restless leg syndrome and night waking. In addition, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, 16% of kids snore a few times a week and can be cause for concern. Children’s snoring is not like adult snoring and doctors now believe that even a little snoring could be a major cause for concern because children’s developing brains can be deprived of oxygen. Bottom line is that if your child continues to have problems with sleep despite your efforts to implement healthy guidelines, see a doctor.
Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise. ~ attributed to Benjamin Franklin
By the way, any parent can request a CST. If you have a problem or concern at home or at school, please see your child's classroom teacher or me to schedule a meeting. It's a great way to get help with any concerns that you have regarding your child's academic, social, emotional, or behavioral health and growth.
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