Healthy Sleep Habits
Parents want and need to know how many hours of sleep is optimal for their children. Sleep needs can vary from one person to another. However, there are some science-based guidelines to help you determine whether your child is getting the sleep he or she needs to grow, learn, and play.
Childhood Sleep Guidelines
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) provides some helpful guidelines regarding just how much sleep children need at different stages in their development. Keep in mind that these numbers reflect total sleep hours in a 24-hour period. So if your son or daughter still naps, you’ll need to take that into account when you add up his or her typical sleep hours.
So, are you sending your child off to bed early enough? Sleep deprivation often leads to some pretty difficult behaviors and health problems — irritability, difficulty concentrating, hypertension, obesity, headaches, and depression. Children who get enough sleep have better growth, a healthier immune system, better school performance, and improved behavior, memory, and mental health.
Healthy Sleep Habits – Tips from the AAP
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) supports the AASM guidelines and encourages parents to make sure their children develop good sleep habits right from the start.
• Make sufficient sleep a family priority.
• Keep to a regular daily routine.
• Be active during the day. Make sure your kids have interesting and varied activities during the day, including physical activity and fresh air.
• Monitor screen time. To prevent sleep disruption, turn off all screens at least 60 minutes/one hour before bedtime.
• Create a sleep-supportive and safe bedroom and home environment. Don’t fill up your child’s bed with toys. Keep your child’s bed a place to sleep, rather than a place to play. Limit the bed to one or two things, such as a favorite doll or bear, or a security blanket.
• Realize that teens require more sleep, not less.
• Avoid over-scheduling. Allow time to wind down, and give your children the downtime they need.
Talk to your child’s pediatrician about sleep. Discuss your child’s sleep habits and problems with your pediatrician, as most sleep problems are easily treated.
Connect with Dr. Rebecca Butler at Lantana Pediatrics:
940.455.7200
