The Importance of Sleep for Your Child’s Health as School Returns

The Importance of Sleep for Your Child's Health as School Returns

You probably know that a nutritious diet, plenty of exercise, and proper hydration are wonderful for your child’s well-being. However, it’s important not to overlook the often-forgotten cornerstone of their health: sleep. The role of sleep for your little one offers more than just a break for their caregivers — it’s essential for their development.

As kids prepare to go back to school this season, parents should consider implementing a healthy sleep schedule in advance. Not sure where to start? Here’s some key back-to-school advice for promoting better sleep in young kids. 

What Happens During Sleep?

Before examining the benefits of childhood sleep, you must understand what takes place in the brain during these critical rest periods. 

Getting Rid of Neurotoxins 

Sleep is the human body’s way of detoxing and refreshing the brain. During slumber, neurological toxins are flushed out, and key brain connections are formed. This is why you feel groggy and irritable as an adult when you don’t get enough sleep. For children, sleep is even more necessary.

Aiding in Children’s Cognitive Development 

Before a child reaches adulthood, their brain is still growing and changing. Sleep helps their development in many ways: processing and storing memories, promoting emotional regulation, and fostering any learning that took place during the day. 

Since young kids are usually learning a lot more brand-new information than adults at any given time, their sleep is especially precious. 

Immune System Repair 

During sleep, the body works on producing and repairing cells that contribute to a person’s immune defenses. Without enough deep rest, children’s immune systems may function poorly, leading to more frequent illness. If you take any back-to-school advice seriously, let this be it: getting enough sleep will protect your child from viruses floating around their environment.

Physical Growth and Development 

Your child’s body is growing and developing at its fastest rate during their younger years. Hormone regulation during sleep is responsible for the appropriate physical growth and development of your child. If they don’t get enough shut-eye, they may not hit key milestones on time. 

Better Social-Emotional Health

Sleep deprivation causes mood swings and irritability, which can greatly impact your child’s social life. During the years when they’re learning and developing key social skills, this can be especially disastrous. It’s essential for children to go into school well-rested and ready to take on the day, forming healthy social bonds with others their age. 

Sleep Debt: How It Happens and Why It’s Bad

You may be familiar with the term “sleep debt” as a parent of a young child. Debt builds up when your child loses precious hours of sleep, whether in naps or nighttime rest, over a period of days, weeks, or months. Sleep debt can feel impossible to reverse and may have long-term impacts on your child’s physical, mental, and cognitive health.

How Much Sleep Your Child Needs By Age

Keep in mind that sleep guidelines are general, and your child may need a bit more or less slumber than suggested. However, as a general rule, you should aim to hit these numbers on most days of your child’s life:

  • Infants (1-12 Months): 12 to 16 hours 
  • Toddlers (1-3 Years): 11 to 14 hours
  • Preschoolers and Kindergarteners (3-6 Years): 10 to 13 hours
  • School-Agers (6+ Years): 9 to 12 hours 

These hours include any naps your child takes throughout the day. This means that if your toddler takes two 2-hour naps during the day (4 hours total), they should still get around seven to ten hours of sleep that night.

What Happens When Your Child Accrues Sleep Debt?

Being overtired can cause a child to be irritable, cranky, and less social than normal. They may also show signs of decreased learning, impaired attention, and poor cognitive processing when learning. When it comes to back-to-school advice from professionals, the consensus is clear: avoid chronic sleep debt at all costs.

Sleep debt can be sneaky, especially if your child is in the process of dropping a nap or hitting a period of sleep regression. A few nights of poor slumber isn’t usually a cause for concern. Look at the overall pattern of your little one’s sleep to identify any weak areas where sleep debt may be building up.

Children may struggle with short or missed naps or poor nighttime sleep for a variety of reasons:

  • Poor sleeping environment
  • Stress
  • Changes in routine
  • Poor diet
  • Developmental milestones and growth spurts
  • Illness
  • Injury
  • Trauma history (especially in adopted or fostered children)
  • Lack of sleep schedule

If this happens, don’t beat yourself up. As a caregiver, all you can do is try your best to set your child up for sleep success. 

How to Instill a Healthy Sleep Schedule for Your Children

Kids of all ages can benefit from boundaries and structure around their slumber schedules and environments. Even small changes can add up to result in an extra hour or two of rest for your little one. Here’s some important back-to-school advice for implementing healthy sleep habits in your household.

No Screens Before Bed

It’s tempting to let children watch TV or play on a tablet or phone before bed. However, the blue light emitted from your child’s electronic devices can interrupt their body’s natural melatonin production cycle and affect their health. This means they’ll have a harder time falling asleep and staying asleep. Implement a no-screens rule at least one hour before bedtime to ensure good, restful slumber.

Create a Relaxing Bedtime Routine 

This will look different for each child depending on their age and preferences. For example, toddlers might enjoy reading a bedtime story and turning on a lullaby before bed, while older children might prefer a more autonomous bedtime routine. The more they enjoy their routine and find good habits, the more likely your family is to stick with it.

Start Implementing Changes Before School Starts

Don’t try to create a brand-new nighttime routine or schedule right when schools begins again. This will stress your child out and likely have the opposite effect that you’re aiming for. Instead, start making small changes about a week before your little one goes back to school.

The Importance of Making Back-to-School Season Easier With Good Sleep

Back-to-school season can be stressful for both parents and children. You can set your children’s success care plan up by doing research and implementing gradual positive changes before it’s time to head back to class this season.

Need back-to-school advice from healthcare professionals? Visit us at Newport Children’s Medical Group for a pediatric pulmonology consultation.