Is your child often agitated and disturbed? Does he feel irritable every time you talk to him? Make sure in this case that he enjoys a good sleep. Indeed, it is essential for him to recover and start a new day of learning and discoveries. But the hours of nighttime sleep vary according to age. LCI reveals the hours of sleep that every child needs based on scientific recommendations.
Some parents may want to spend more time with their children in the evenings, so that they can enjoy themselves, but for a child, watching and lacking sleep means disruption and fatigue, which is not recommended for children. their health, both physical and mental.
The ideal bedtime for the child according to their age
According to the American Pediatric Academy, it is recommended to bring to each child according to his age, the duration of sleep which he really needs.
Indeed, and following this research, the recommended sleep periods are as follows:
- Infants aged 4 to 12 months need 12 to 16 hours of sleep, including naps.
- Children 1 to 2 years, need 11 to 14 hours of sleep, nap included.
- Children 3 to 5 years old need 10 to 13 hours of sleep, nap included.
- Children from 6 to 12 years old need 9 to 12 hours.
- Teenagers aged 13 to 18 need 8 to 10 hours of sleep.
It turns out that sleeping a sufficient number of hours of sleep would ensure optimal physical and mental health, improve concentration and learning, improve memory, and stabilize mood.
Otherwise, a lack of sleep would be a source of physical and mental disturbance, including a lack of concentration, an increased risk of accidents and injuries, hypertension, obesity, diabetes and depression. In adolescents, insufficient sleep may even lead to suicidal thoughts in some cases.
In the same context, a school in Wisconsin, the Wilson Elementary School highlighted a table of hours of sleep each child needs based on his age to help parents better take charge of their daily routine. sleep.
This table shared thousands of times on social media indicates that it is important to respect the times of waking and bedtime and the constancy and routine of sleep. Moreover, a study has shown that bad sleep habits could lead to a risk of obesity in children. To corroborate this, another study from Harvard Medical School has been able to determine the major disadvantage of lack of sleep on the potential risk of obesity with an increase in body mass index ( BMI). This study attempts to raise awareness about the importance of the sleep factor and the risk of obesity in children.
How to sleep children earlier?
In order to encourage children to go to bed early and enjoy a good restful sleep, it is important to limit the time they spend in front of the television or screens of laptops, computers, tablets and video games. The latter release a blue light that according to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) slows down the release of melatonin, an essential hormone for the regulation of sleep and increases the attention and vigilance. Also, setting up a bedtime routine, such as reading a book or bathing in the evening, can help your children fall into the arms of Morpheus and enjoy a good restful night.
