Are Your Children Sleeping OK???
What’s Up Beautiful People! Thanks for visiting DrxJoy Your Prescription For Total Wellness Blog!
We have an interesting post on helping your children sleep better. Practical advice you can use TODAY…before you read this make sure you take three deep breaths:
Clear your mind….
INHALE……….EXHALE
INHALE……….EXHALE
INHALE……….EXHALE (How do your feel?) I feel great!
This is a continuation from a previous blog post on Getting Enough REST. This time however, the focus will be on your children. Are Your Children Sleeping OK? I hope you answer YES as SLEEP is critical to a child’s brain development. Sleep quality can be the difference between a child who is learning and behaving well and a child that is struggling at home or in school.
How do you know if your child is sleeping well? Here are some tips for you:
If your child is having bedtime issues,
Excessive daytime sleepiness,
Awakenings at night,
Regularity and duration of sleep issues,
Or excessive snoring,
Your child may have a sleeping problem.
If your child has displayed any of the areas above, a visit to a sleep doctor is recommended, as if a sleep problem appears to be impacting a child’s ability to function during the day, then it needs to be addressed.
Does your child get adequate sleep? Many childhood sleep problems can be traced to an inadequate amount of sleep. If your child is less than 10 years of age, 11 hours of sleep at night is recommended, this does not include naps. Children ages 10 to 15 should be getting about 10 hours of sleep, while our lovely teenagers 16 and older need about 9 hours. Today, our lives are crazy busy and many children are not getting the proper amount of sleep. As mentioned in a previous post, adults need about 6 – 7 hours of peaceful sleep, however they often get away with less, so they make the assumption it is OK for their children to do the same…WRONG!
Here’s how YOU as a parent can encourage better sleep:
1) Enforce consistent bedtimes and routines around bedtime
2) No TV during the week on school days (YES, we implemented this in our household for our sons, as a result our sons were fully engaged in school, outstanding grade reports, active in extra-curricular activities, developed a love for reading, exploration, and family time)
3) Eliminating stimulating foods, such as caffeine (tell them Coffee is not good for kids! – it’s ok)
4) Eliminate strenuous exercise near bedtime
5) Absolutely NO VIDEO GAMES (I put this in the category with NO TV on school days)
Seriously, we did not allow our sons to watch TV or play video games during the week (Monday – Thursday), Friday afterschool and on weekends (if time available) was another story…..
While many issues can be solved with behavioral changes, an overnight sleep study may be necessary if a child appears to have sleep apnea – the starting and stopping of breathing during sleep, or excessive parasomnias such as night terrors, sleepwalking, head banging or waking up confused. Treatment for parasomnias will vary but can include: medication, changes in sleep habits or addressing underlying health problems.
The amount and quality of SLEEP is important for your children’s’ overall health. Encourage your children to get their adequate rest so they will be vibrant during the day.
Be Blessed, Stay Healthy!
See ya!
Dr. Joy
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