You must be taking good care of your kid’s diet, safety, and hygiene, but do you know that a night of good sleep is also essential for your kid’s behavior, learning, memory, improved attention, and overall health. Getting enough sleep is vital for adults and is critical for kids because sleep helps their bodies rest and repair and restore their energies.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, some kids do not get adequate sleep; nearly 25 to 30 percent do not get enough sleep. Different remedies help kids to sleep well, such as limit caffeine or screen time, etc. There are natural sleep supplements especially manufactured for kids with melatonin available in the market in the form of gummies.
The effective melatonin gummies for kids are the best way to promote peaceful sleep in children with drug-free and safe ingredients. These gummies are readily available in market such as Mel-o-licious kids melatonin gummies, Gummies Garden’s melatonin gummies for kids, Vicks Pure Zzzs, etc.
Why is A Good Night’s Sleep Important?
Sleep is a little vacation for the body to rest from the activities it performs all day. The kids are the busiest creatures, and they are up to something all day long like running, playing with pets, sports, etc. After a hectic day, their little bodies are tired and need a good night’s sleep and energy for the next day.
Enough sleep is essential for kids because sleep plays a crucial role in the development of their brains. Sleep directly affects the kid’s mood, learning abilities, behavior, cognitive performance, optimal alertness, attention, motor skill development, and memory consolidation. It also helps build their immunity. Sleep is a power source that charges the mind’s battery every night and at every nap.
There are different stages of sleep, and at the non-rapid Eye Movement (REM) or deep sleep, some important brain development hormones are released, and the growth and repair of the body occur. Sleep also helps the children to recharge and retain all the information they have learned throughout the day.
Children who have enough sleep are more creative; they can concentrate on any task for a more extended period and make positive decisions. Such kids can maintain good relations with others, and they have better problem-solving abilities. In short, an adequate amount of sleep is vital for both the mental and physical health of the children
The Recommended Amount of Sleep for Children
The recommended amount of sleep a child should get varies based on their age. The kid’s circadian cycle (biological clock) is a 24 hours cycle, and it tells their bodies when to sleep. Age influences the circadian cycle, and as the kids age, their sleep time is reduced. The American Academy of Pediatrics has produced a general guide on the sleep requirements of children of different ages.
| Age | Sleep Requirement |
| Newborn till 1 year | 12 to 16 hours |
| 1 to 2 years old children | 11 to 14 hours |
| 3 to 5 years old children | 10 to 13 hours |
| 6 to 12 years old children | 9 to 12 hours |
| 13 to 18 years old teenagers | 8 to 10 hours |
Consequences of Sleep Deprivation in Children
If the children are not having enough sleep, it has adverse effects on their mental and physical health. The most common result of sleep deprivation is fatigue. The lack of sleep also causes irritability, difficulties with learning, and increased forgetfulness. If the kid is short of sleep, they have increased mood swings sometimes; the child is grumpy and sometimes hyperactive.
Not getting enough sleep affects the kid’s attention abilities and directly impacts their performance in school and other day-to-day life. The American Academy of Pediatrics has linked sleep deprivation in children to allergic rhinitis. Getting less sleep than the actual requirement has adverse effects on the immune system.
Sleep deprivation in children overtimes; contribute to anxiety, depression, and unhappiness. Poor sleep in childhood also leads to obesity, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular diseases in the future.
The Symptoms of Lack of Sleep in Children
Enough sleep for children does not mean that one night they can sleep for fewer hours and next night they will have extra hours of sleep. Enough sleep means that the kids need to rest for particular hours each night, and if they do not sleep for an adequate amount of hours, they will have physical, emotional, and cognitive issues.
Some of the symptoms that show that the kid is not having enough sleep are:
- They do not wake up quickly in the morning, and most probably, they will sleep again, and you have to wake them repeatedly.
- The kids will be yawning all day long.
- The kids will prefer to lie down during the day playing with friends.
- The kids will seem drowsy during school time or while doing homework.
- The kids will have blurred vision.
- There will be an apparent increase in forgetfulness.
- They will lack interest and motivation in daily activities.
- Find difficulty in learning new things.
- The kids will be more impulsive.
- Increase in irritability, moodiness, and stress level.
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