Kids are sleep-deprived, and it affects their health, their behavior, their weight and their disposition. In spite of the fact that we all know this, more and more kids are sleep deprived every year, and the problem starts earlier and earlier.
A study reported in the December issue of Sleep Documents the effects of sleep deprivation on elementary and middle school kids. Psychologist Gahan Fallone conducted the study at Brown Medical Center in Providence, Rhode Island. His subjects were children between the ages of 6 and 12. They followed their regular sleep schedule for a week, then slept for 10 hours per night the second week, and the third week, their nightly sleep was reduced by 2 - 3 1/2 hours per night. Their teachers evaluated them at the end of each week.
These children, who were normally well-behaved and focused, reported headaches and stomachaches when their sleep was reduced. They had trouble remembering what they had learned, they were irritable and roamed the classroom when they were supposed to be in their seats.
Fallone reported and I have observed clinically that many children who are diagnosed with ADD or ADHD are actually sleep-deprived, in addition to having other problems such as poor nutrient status. They do not need to be medicated, but they do need to be in bed earlier every night.
The biggest reason parents give me for allowing their children to stay up late at night is that children do not want to go to bed at the time the parents direct them to do so. Excuse me, but who is the parent? Kids don't want to do their homework, go to school or brush their teeth sometimes either, but it is the job of the parent to set the ground rules for how the child will live life, particularly when kids are young.
In addition to just setting a bedtime and sticking with it, here are some other helps for getting kids to bed and to sleep on time: