Sleep is an important part of our health

Source: WebMD

Sleep is no less important than food, drink, or safety in the lives of children. Although this may seem apparent, many of us actually do not allow our children to get the critical sleep they need to develop and function properly.

It’s certainly not something we do on purpose. As a matter of fact, we often don’t think much of it, and that is the problem. With parents working long hours, schedules packed with school, after-school activities, and other lifestyle factors, naps are missed, bedtimes are pushed back, mornings start earlier and nights may be anything but peaceful. Missing naps or going to bed a little late may not seem like a big deal, but it is. It all adds up, with consequences that may last a lifetime

To understand the critical nature of sleep to our children’s growth and development, we need to understand more about what sleep does, what healthy sleep is, and what happens when children do not get either, the right amount of sleep, the best quality sleep, or both. We also need to understand the role sleep plays in being alert or drowsy, stressed or relaxed, and how that in turn may affect temperament, learning, and social behavior.

Essentials of Healthy Sleep

Healthy sleep requires:

• A sufficient amount of sleep

• Uninterrupted (good quality) sleep

• The proper number of age-appropriate naps

• A sleep schedule that is in sync with the child’s natural biological rhythms (internal clock or circadian rhythm)

Length of sleep: Children simply must have a sufficient amount of sleep to grow, develop, and function optimally. How much is right for your child varies by age. Remember, each child is unique and individual variation occurs.

Quality of sleep: Quality sleep is uninterrupted sleep that allows your child to move through all the different and necessary stages of sleep. The quality of sleep is as important as the quantity, playing its essential role in nervous system development.

Naps: Naps play a large role in the healthy sleep of children. They help optimize your child’s alertness and have an impact on her learning and development. Naps are also quite different from night sleep. Not only are they not the same kind of sleep, naps at different times of the day serve different functions. That is one reason why the timing of naps is important, and why they need to occur in sync with your child’s natural biological rhythms.

Consequences of Sleep Disturbances

Sleep disturbances, for whatever reason, have significant and often serious consequences. In his book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, Weissbluth states:

Healthy Sleep in Children

Sleep problems not only disrupt a child’s nights — they disrupt his days, too, by making him less mentally alert, more inattentive, unable to concentrate, and easily distracted. They also make him more physically impulsive, hyperactive, or appear to be lazy.

Sleep on These

Following are some observations from various studies illustrating some of the difficulties faced and the behavioral changes in children with sleep problems (from Wiessbluth’s Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child and On Becoming Baby Wise, by Gary Ezzo and Robert Bucknam, MD):

• Children do not “outgrow” sleep problems; problems must be solved.

• Children who sleep longer during the day have longer attention spans.

• Babies who sleep less in the daytime appear more fitful and socially demanding, and they are less able to entertain or amuse themselves.

• Toddlers who sleep more are more fun to be around, more sociable, and less demanding. Children who sleep less can behave somewhat like hyperactive children.

• Small but constant deficits in sleep over time tend to have escalating and perhaps long-term effects on brain function.

• For ADHD children, improvements in sleep dramatically improved peer relations and classroom performance.

• Healthy sleep positively affects neurologic development and appears to be the right medicine for the prevention of many learning and behavioral problems.

Students to get free fruit and vegetables

FREE fresh fruits and vegetables at Albany Elementary School will be available EVERY Wednesday during snack time for AES students. Parents, please encourage your child to participate in the program.

Students to get free breakfast and lunch

A friendly reminder ALL students in Clinton County School District will receive FREE breakfast and lunch.

For more information please contact April Speck, Clinton County Healthy Hometown Coordinator at 606-387-2051 or april.speck@clinton.kyschools.us

Check us out on Facebook- Kentucky’s Healthy Hometown Initiative-Clinton County.

Healthy Hometown is working toward a “healthy” Clinton County.