The amount of sleep is vital for the physical and mental health of every person, but it is even more important for children who are still in their development stages.
Good sleep is necessary for children’s brain development, hormonal balance, and maintaining a healthy weight, to name a few. However, parents often wonder if one hour less of sleep can impact their children’s behavior, mood, and overall health and if they should be concern about it or not.
What is the Recommended Sleep for Children?
Sleep requirements vary according to different age groups. Infants birth up to 3 months old need 14-17 hours of sleep, younger toddlers around 12-14 hours, and preschoolers around 10-13 hours.
School-aged children require 9-11 hours, and teenagers from 14-17 years old 8-10 hours of sleep per night for optimal health and well-being.
What Happens When Children Lose One Hour of Sleep?
Studies have shown evidence that losing even one hour of sleep can make children more irritable, cranky, and lethargic. These are not uncommon effects of being tired, but mood swings can be more palpable when children lose an hour of sleep.
Missing one hour of sleep can cause a domino effect of stress for everyone involved, making mornings more hectic and more difficult for everyone. Children can be restless, leading to poor sleep in the future, along with sluggishness and poor performance at school.
Impact of Sleep on Children’s Behavior and Emotions
During the day, sleep-deprived children can become more irritable and impulsive, due to the limitation on their emotional self-regulation abilities that deep sleep usually facilitates.
Children that tend to be more restless in the evening or have trouble falling or maintaining good sleep have been found to be more impulsive. Research has also shown that insufficient sleep can cause hyperactivity and poor mood regulation for children, leading to greater levels of stress, depression, and anxiety.
The reduction of deep sleep or slow-wave sleep, which usually occurs in the first few hours of sleep, can cause increased emotional difficulties in growing children.
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What are the effects of one less hour of sleep on children’s behavior?
Impact of Sleep on Children’s Learning and School Performance
Children are more likely to have trouble with learning when they are sleep-deprived, and their school performance can be compromised.
They may not be interested or motivated to perform well, or simply lack the ability to fully understand new concepts presented at school. A significant reduction in cognitive speed, memory, and flexibility can happen due to insomnia. Children need quality sleep to memorize, retain information, and learn new skills effectively.
Fatigue from not getting sufficient sleep can limit the attention and concentration that facilitate good learning activities.
Factors That Contribute to Sleep-Deprivation
Oftentimes there are several factors that contribute to sleep-deprivation. Children may not get enough sleep due to extracurricular activities, long commutes, late-night studies, or excessive screen time before bed.
Anxiety, depression, and other sleep disorders can also weaken children’s quality of sleep. Health issues such as allergies, breathing difficulties, or other illnesses can interfere with a good night’s rest.
Tips for Better Sleep for Your Children
It is essential to make sleep a priority for family members’ physical and emotional health. Some tips to encourage better sleep include:.
- Establishing a consistent bed and wake-up time schedule
- Encouraging physical activities during the day to promote quality sleep
- Reducing screen time and choosing mostly relaxing activities before bed
- Creating a comfortable and relaxing bedroom environment
- Aiming for optimal sleep duration for your children’s age group range
- Keeping a sleep diary for your children’s sleep behavior and patterns
Conclusion
Getting the recommended amount of sleep is vital for children’s and adults’ quality of life.
The loss of one hour of sleep can be as harmful as many hours of sleep deprivation, so parents should pay attention to their children’s sleep behavior and make sleep a priority. Poor sleep quality can affect children’s mood, behavior, and overall wellbeing, so taking a complete look at the factors that may hinder their sleep is crucial for supporting good sleep habits.
