Sleep Deprivation In Children: 10 Consequences
Not only adults suffer from insomnia, children are also often affected. Today’s article is about the effects of lack of sleep in childhood. Because these can negatively affect physical and emotional development.
Sleep disorders in children
About a quarter of all children suffer from insomnia from time to time. It is a serious problem that leads many parents to the pediatrician.
Bad sleeping habits and a lack of boundaries are often responsible for this. Because many children go to bed too late, use screen devices for a long time and sleep far too little.
Insomnia is extremely harmful to health at any age. But it has a particularly negative effect on children. The biological clock is out of balance and development is impaired as a result.
Even before birth, the human being has specific neurons that regulate the sleep-wake rhythm. They are connected to the biological clock, which is responsible, for example, that newborns sleep longer in the first few weeks of life.
Of course, it is not just a biological question; numerous external factors also play an important role. For example, a dark room supports a restful sleep. The brain associates light with wakefulness, which makes it difficult to calm down.
How much sleep do children need?
Nurses sleep around 16 hours a day, interrupting their sleep roughly every four hours. From the age of three months they no longer wake up as often during the night and then sleep through the night.
At the age of two, toddlers sleep around 10 hours and need a nap during the day to recover sufficiently. In school age there is usually no more time for this.
Even in adolescence, adolescents need a lot of sleep. This is due to fluctuations in hormones that affect the biological cycle. On average, adolescents need at least eight hours of sleep.
Consequences of lack of sleep in children
When children do not get enough sleep, various symptoms soon develop. Some of them are clearer than others. Parents should look out for the following signs in particular:
- Irritability, bad mood, frequent crying, and sometimes unjustified screams
- Restlessness and hyperactivity
- Listlessness and dejection
- Memory problems, unable to remember basic things
- Lack of motivation, no interest in activities that are usually fun
- Poor academic performance, poor grades, learning difficulties
- Headaches that can interfere with everyday life
- Accidents, clumsiness and lack of reflexes
- Susceptibility to disease, weakened immune system
- Slow growth, weak body.
What to do to prevent sleep deprivation
Regular sleep times are particularly important for children. However, you should also be a role model and stick to a healthy sleep routine yourself.
Establish specific times when the child has to go to bed. These must also be adhered to on weekends. In addition, your offspring should get up at the same time each day. Sleeping long at the weekend is detrimental to a healthy sleep rhythm.
The nap after eating shouldn’t be too long. One hour is enough. In addition, the midday nap should be over by 4 p.m. at the latest. This is how you can prevent it from interfering with your night’s sleep.
In addition, healthy eating habits are also very important for a good night’s sleep: dinner should be light and consist mainly of vegetables. Fried foods, pastries and sugar impede digestion and thus sleep.
Don’t forget to turn off screen devices a while before you go to bed! The light from electronic devices stimulates the brain. Better to get your children used to reading or playing a quiet game before they sleep.
With all of these tips, you can avoid lack of sleep and improve your child’s sleep quality.
