Young children getting too little sleep, research shows
Today's young child is getting on average of two hours less sleep than the recommended amount needed each night, research by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) has found. This lack of sleep can often lead to mood swings, hyperactivity and other behavioural problems, as well as cognitive problems that impact on a child's ability to learn in school or nursery.
According to the NSF’s Poll Task Force toddlers and pre-schoolers are the worst affected. Toddlers recording just 11.7 hours a night, and pre-schoolers just 10.4 hours, both well below the twelve to fourteen hours needed for toddlers and the eleven to thirteen hours needed for pre-schoolers.
The study goes on to suggest that parents encourage a regular routine at children's bedtime which negates the sense of "missing out" on play or extended time with the family. Issues around children's sleeping times are often more difficult to deal with than other family problems and one child’s sleep problem can affect not only the parents, but siblings too, causing the whole family to have a disruptive night.
This is an original news article © The Kids Window
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