Health experts say that rest is important not only for physical recovery, but also for mental and emotional health.
Sleeping is essential for children and adolescents, not only because they need a longer period of sleep, but also because the acquisition of good sleep behaviors in childhood favors the maintenance of an adequate sleep pattern in adulthood.
The amount of time that a day should be dedicated to sleep decreases throughout life:
Several studies relate sleep time with school performance, concluding that this is negatively affected by a period of insufficient sleep.
More restless and unstable behavior, drowsiness, reduced ability to concentrate, memory difficulties and irritability are some of the symptoms that manifest in children and adolescents who sleep little and that inhibit their availability for learning.
Suggestions for creating sleep schedule habits and routines:
Establish a sleep routine
The time to go to bed and wake up should be the same every day and should not vary by more than 1 hour on weekends.
Encourage the bed to be a place of relaxation
Prevent the bed from becoming a place to play, run errands, play games or watch television. Thus, the brain will associate the bed as a place of relaxation.
Avoid heavy meals in the evening or dinner close to bedtime
Dinner should not be excessive or contain stimulating food or drink.
Decrease the pace of play before the child goes to bed
Reduce stimulation and limit more active play in the two hours before bedtime.
Reduce exposure to screens
Spending too much time in front of a screen has a negative impact on children's health, self-esteem and socialization skills. Although more and more school tasks are resorting to new technologies, the rules for their use during the class period must be clear.
Ensuring that the bedroom environment promotes rest
The bedroom should have a serene, dark atmosphere, with a mild temperature. Choose the best crib and mattress when they are babies. know " How to choose the best mattress for your baby's crib? ".
When they are old enough to move to a bed , choose a bed and mattress whose characteristics promote healthy growth. For example, the Koala Tipi Bed was developed respecting the most recent educational methods, to provide the best rest for the little ones during the crucial period of their growth and development.
Conclusion
Children and adolescents need routines and discipline to have a good biological rhythm, grow up healthy and perform well at school. And that includes sleeping hours. It is up to parents to manage the routine and set limits. With quiet nights they will surely have healthier growth and better school performance and achievement.
