“Sleep” should not be postponed; good habits like consistent sleep are important.
Posted on 03.23.2024 at 8.05pm Posted on 03.23.2024 at 8.05pm Modified on 03.21.2024 at 1.21pm Views 6
In the case of growing children, if they don’t sleep well, they may experience increased mental and physical effects in addition to tiredness, so caution is needed. [사진=게티이미지뱅크]All parents want their children to grow up healthy and intelligent. One of the important things for this is adequate sleep. However, recently, the number of children suffering from insomnia or lack of sleep has increased. What efforts can parents make to help their children sleep well?
Adequate, quality sleep is the foundation of physical and mental health, and experts believe that, especially for children, sufficient sleep can mean more than a balanced diet and regular exercise. Citing experts, the American Heart Association (AHA) warned that children and teens who can’t sleep well may be at risk of experiencing problems that go beyond simple tiredness. Inadequate sleep can lead to weight gain, obesity, increased blood pressure and insulin resistance in adolescents, as well as affecting the heart, brain and even the immune system.
Of course, sleep guidelines can and should vary depending on the child’s age, build, home environment, etc. There’s no one-size-fits-all recipe for success, but knowing general ways to help your baby get the best sleep possible can make it easier to set effective sleep guidelines and goals.
Make “sleep” a priority
You have to be careful not to put sleep on the back burner by prioritizing what needs to be done. Cutting back on sleep to do homework, having late dinners with working parents, or watching sports games with family interferes with forming regular sleep habits. Not only is it important to go to sleep at a certain time, but it is also important to maintain consistent and sufficient sleep time, so careful coordination of the schedule is necessary so that children can develop regular sleep habits.
‘Teaching “how to sleep well”
As with potty training, it is important to teach children how to recognize sleepiness signals coming from their body and know when to go to bed. We need to teach children where and how they sleep to help them sleep, and that drooping eyelids are signs of drowsiness and help them fall asleep on time.
The most important thing is to have as consistent a sleep pattern as possible. It’s also helpful to maintain consistent bedtime and wake-up times and create a consistent routine, such as showering after completing homework, lying in bed, reading a book, and then falling asleep. Training children to sleep without a parent or other person nearby and learning to fall asleep on their own when they wake up can also reduce sleep disturbances.
It is not right to force children who have already grown up to go to sleep too early. If you are a teenager, you should establish good sleep habits and find ways to increase sleep time as much as possible within your child’s schedule. Rather than forcing bedtime, encourage children to only use bed when they are asleep, avoid playing or doing homework while lying down, and avoid caffeinated drinks to help them sleep well. The National Sleep Foundation’s recommended sleep duration by age is △ Infants 11 to 14 hours △ Preschoolers 10 to 13 hours △ School children 9 to 11 hours △ Adolescents 8 to 10 hours △ Adults 7 to 9 hours △ Seniors 7 to 8 hours. It’s time.
Turn off your smartphone 1 hour before going to sleep
Get into the habit of turning off digital devices such as smartphones, which reduce children’s sleep time and interfere with a good night’s sleep, at least an hour before bedtime. The blue light emitted from screens is not good because it can interfere with the production of melatonin, a hormone that influences sleep patterns and sleep regulation. According to a study published in “JAMA Network”, an experiment was conducted on approximately 7,097 pairs of caregivers and children and the results showed that an increase in screen time at 1 year of age was associated with a delay in the development of communication and problem solving at 2 years. up to 4 years of age. It has been found to have an effect on .
To prevent children from staying up late playing, it’s helpful to limit the time they use digital devices. Rather than forcing them to take away their smartphones, it is more effective to make them fully understand why they need to make this effort and control and, when allowed, allow them to enjoy the time as much as possible.
Take melatonin with caution
Even if your child suffers from sleep disorders, experts agree that melatonin supplementation through medications should be undertaken with caution. Recently, in the United States, the number of cases of people being taken to the emergency room after taking “melatonin gummies” has increased, raising social concerns. In many countries, including Korea, you need a prescription to take melatonin, but in the United States it is sold as a health supplement, making it easy to abuse. While short-term use of melatonin is thought to be safe for children, there is still a lack of research or data on long-term use.
To help your child sleep better, rather than taking medications, develop good sleep habits as mentioned above, separate the sleeping area from the living space, install blackout curtains in the room to block light, and find white noise to help children sleep. fall asleep, thus providing a better sleeping environment. It is effective to commit to making it happen. However, if your sleep problem does not resolve despite these efforts and the lack of sleep affects your daily life, it is best to visit a specialist for a consultation and receive treatment such as a melatonin prescription.
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