The National Sleep Foundation's annual "Sleep in America" poll,
released today, shows that many kids aren't getting enough sleep, and
that late-night access to all these electronic devices sure isn't
helping. The foundation recommends 11 hours of sleep for kids ages 6
through 10 and 8.5 to 9.5 hours for kids ages 11 through 17, but the
parents surveyed in the 2014 poll say their kids typically get less than
those recommendations. Some of the sleep challenges
are old school: 34 percent of parents cite evening activities, and 28
percent report homework. But some are new: 72 percent of parents say
their kids have at least one electronic device in their bedroom while
sleeping, and it turns out that those kids typically get a half hour to
an hour less sleep per night than their peers.
Nine
out of 10 parents surveyed believe their kids' sleep is extremely or
very important, and it is. Insufficient, poor quality sleep "can impact
[kids'] health, performance in school and their behavior," says Kristen
Knutson, an NSF poll scholar and assistant professor of medicine at the
University of Chicago. So how can parents help their kids get more sleep?
What can combat challenges as archaic as homework and as modern as Candy Crush? Go back to the basics: rules and role modeling. Knutson explains:
What can combat challenges as archaic as homework and as modern as Candy Crush? Go back to the basics: rules and role modeling. Knutson explains:
Set rules, and stick to them. Assign
bed times, yes, but also regulate how late kids can use their
cellphones, watch TV, play video games and consume caffeine. In the NSF
survey, kids whose parents continually enforce rules about phone use and
caffeine consumption average almost an hour more sleep than their peers
each night.
These rules may
help temper the typical sleep challenges kids face, such as a full
schedule of homework and evening activities that may bleed into the
night. While (to your child's disappointment) you can't tell him or her
to skip the homework, these rules will stifle the variables working
against them, such as late-night screen time and caffeine intake. Sure,
there will be nights when your teenager
must work on an algebra assignment until 10 or 11 p.m. But they
shouldn't jump on Facebook or PlayStation afterward. So don't expect an 8
p.m. bedtime to work, but set rules to prevent teenagers from staying
up until 2 a.m., Knutson says. "An hour or two earlier would be very
beneficial."
Explain why you're setting rules. You know what might help these rules stick? Context. "Sit down with your child -- especially teenagers -- and talk with them about why it is you want to enforce these rules, how important sleep is and that you're not just being mean," Knutson says. Instead of simply forbidding smartphone use after 9 p.m., for example, explain to older kids how the light from these devices can disturb their sleep. Stress the consequences of poor sleep versus quality sleep, Knutson says, and how it will affect their schoolwork. It's even worth having the sleep talk with a 6-year-old, Knutson says. "Just explain that sleep is really important for you to do better, feel better and have more fun during the day."
Be a role model. Chances
are, if you're setting sleep rules, kids will take note if you follow
them or not. According to the survey, 65 percent of kids whose parents
have one or more interactive electronics (such as tablets or
smartphones, laptops or desktop computers or video games) in their
bedrooms have at least one of these devices in their bedrooms, too. "We
set examples for children in all our habits, whether it's diet or exercise or whatever it is," Knutson says. "And sleep is another important aspect of a healthy lifestyle."
