Children’s Sleep and School Success – How they are related
School start is on the horizon. For those with children this can be a busy time, doing those last minute summer activities, getting school supplies, and preparing children for a successful year. Let’s take the time to get children on a good sleep schedule that will help them in school.
Children’s Sleep
Why is it important to think about children’s sleep? To start, many children simply don’t get enough hours of sleep. Here’s how much sleep kids need:
• children 3 to 5 years old need more than 11 hours
• children 6 to 12 years old need 10 to 11 hours
• teenagers need 9 to 9.5 hours
Looking at the school start times here in Seattle, and allowing just one hour from wake-up to being at school, grade school children should be sleeping by 9pm, middle schoolers by 9:30p, and high school students by 9:30-10pm. (If your child needs more than 1 hour from wake-up to school start time then move bedtime earlier accordingly). Are your children getting to sleep at that time? If not, your child is probably feeling the effects of insufficient sleep.
Impacts of Insufficient Sleep
Going to school can be demanding, children are asked to concentrate, learn physical skills, and develop socially with their peers. Here are some highlights:
• Only 20% of children grades 6-12 get the necessary amount of sleep (>9 hrs)! Can you believe it?! In younger children, only 47% get the sleep they need.
• Increased playground injuries in children who sleep <10 hours.
• Children with insufficient sleep are more likely to be angry, depressed, or overly emotional. Kids who sleep less take more risks, and this is especially true in teens.
• Cognitive effects include impaired memory, creative problem solving, and decreased verbal fluency, all skills that your child needs in school
What you can do to improve your child’s sleep:
• Establish bedtimes for your children, so everyone in the household knows the standard. You may want to have a time when everyone finishes their activities and starts to “wind down.”
• Start a trend in your social group of starting activities early enough that they usually end an hour before bedtime. This gives you time to travel home safely, and wind down a little before going to sleep.
• Remove electronic media from your child’s bedroom so they are not tempted to continue with homework, TV, or texting after bedtime
• Kids (and parents) can get excited about activities. Emphasize quality wake hours rather than quantity. Is it really fun to stay up late if you are so tired that you can’t think or are teary the next day?
• Allow your children to catch up on sleep on the weekends or vacations if necessary. The golden standard is to wake up on their own, feeling refreshed and energetic throughout the day. If your child sleeps a lot more on weekends, consider moving their school night bedtime earlier in 15 minute increments until it evens out.