The relationship between sleep and various areas of child functioning has been the focus of many research efforts. To me, the most impressive (or startling) findings were presented by Avi Sadeh in 2003 when he demonstrated that even very modest alterations in a child’s sleep duration (losses of less than one hour) had significant, measurable impact on their ability to perform various tasks of memory, attention/concentration, and processing speed. Personally, I was struck by these findings since school based learning relies heavily on all three of these skill sets. Over the past several years the research has continued to accumulate other evidence linking even minor sleep reduction to changes in the ways young brains consolidate and learn new information, alternations in mood, and fluctuations in hormone levels which effect the way blood sugar is metabolized. In short, sleep is a highly valuable commodity that our children just cannot afford to lose.
While I doubt that any parent would argue with this statement, moving from theory to practice with regard to this issue may be one of the biggest challenges within families. The first issue to consider is the sleep culture of your family. Are there strict bedtimes? Bedtime routines? Do you expect your children to learn to self-soothe at night from an early age or is night time parenting part of your household? If so, what is your plan for transition to independent sleep? Do rewards granted for good behavior sometimes short-change your child’s time in bed? All of these questions will help you determine how your family approaches sleep, and may also provide some clues as to how you can help assure that your children receive ample shut-eye each night.
The second issue to consider is that it can be very difficult to alter patterns which are currently in place. Whatever your family’s sleep culture, it has probably been in place since your first baby arrived and it is always a challenge to change even when you recognize the benefits. Here, it is important to consider that making minor shifts in moving towards a longer night’s sleep will likely be most successful. So, rather than setting a strict 7:30pm lights out policy for everyone, gradually entering bed 15 minutes earlier each week may prove more advantageous.
On the topic of bed times, it is important to note that teens have shown to have somewhat unique sleep needs. Specifically, research has shown that their internal sleep clocks lead them to tire later than young children and adults. Thus, it may not be realistic for your 11-year old and your 14-year old to share the same bedtime. So where do teenagers find more moments of sleep? The best answer seems to be in the morning hours, but as we all know the majority of high school students have the earliest homeroom times, and while implementing later start times have been wildly successful in districts willing to make this change most school systems are reluctant, to say the least, when faced with the prospect of shifting the school day.
Finally, the issue that I most often see parents struggle with is one of time management. Today, children have a good deal of homework. There are afterschool activities, sports practices, music lessons, and social gatherings to attend. Chores must be done, meals must be eaten. At some point parents may find themselves asking, “What can be sacrificed?” “Where will the extra time be found?” This is an issue that becomes increasingly more complicated as children enter middle and high school where the demands intensify at a seemingly exponential pace.
With all these questions and issues in mind, my hope is that families will at least stop to look at their current sleep habits, routines, and attitudes. If there is room for improvement, know that your efforts towards change will probably benefit your children in more ways that we can appreciate. And if something has to give, try not to let sleep get the axe!
