Half of the children in your kid's school are not getting enough sleep. Experts say the top 3 reasons are electronics, school starting early and teens being on a different sleep schedule. Houston Pediatrician Dr. Elizabeth Thomas says this is a bigger problem than you might think. Dr. Thomas says enough sleep really helps children throughout the day.
”Sleep is so important because it affects the child’s attention, behavior, emotional regulation and overall quality of life.If the child is turning on their phone during the night, it will be harder for them to go back to sleep because their hormones are regulated through melatonin.”
Dr. Thomas says
- set a pattern for bed time and stick to it
- get the room as dark as possible
- set an example of going to bed at the same time every night with no phone near the bed and TV and computers off.
Recommended amount of sleep according to the National Sleep Foundation and the CDC:
Newborns (0-3 months): 14-17 hours each day
Infants (4-11 months): 12-15 hours
Toddlers (1-2 years): 11-14 hours
Preschoolers (3-5): 10-13 hours
School age children (6-13): 9-11 hours
Teenagers (14-17): 8-10 hours
Younger adults (18-25): 7-9 hours
Adults (over 25) More than 7 hours