Everyone needs adequate sleep, especially big kids. They need it as it's an important part of how their minds and bodies develop and grow. The tricky portion is putting them to sleep and having them stay put there.
For big kids, enough sleep is very important especially as they're developing and growing. Without it, they are prone to hypertension, injuries, depression, obesity, moodiness, a short-attention span and poor performance in school.
"Sleep apnea is associated with poor school performance, mood and behavior problems, misdiagnosis of ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and, if severe, potentially heart problems," Dr. Stuart F. Quan of Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston said to Reuters. He added that at least 25 percent of 12-year-olds get less than the suggested nine hours of sleep per night and there's increasing evidence that this impacts learning memory.
Now experts challenge parents to make sure their kids have adequate bedtime. However, the challenge is not easy for most parents especially moms. For example, Shana Abom writes in The Stir that even her youngest, who just started middle school, still occasionally appears in their doorway, begging her to come sit with her because she had a creepy dream that she just can't get out of her head.
To lessen the burden in parents, Shana Abom shared advices from experts. To answer the question, experts have spoken and shared their advice on the matter.
- Exclude an illness. This is the first step according to Laura Swartz, an author and certified sleep consultant, as of Shana Abom. She said that the first step to combat sleep problem in kids is to exclude any physical reasons of sleeplessness and that if a disease or virus or allergies are to blame for sleeplessness, see a doctor.
- Create bedtime plan. Ask the kid what can make her sleep. Bedtime stories, cuddling and warm bath are among activities to choose from that can make a child sleep. Just make sure to select stories that can relax the minds of children and send them off towards dreamland.
- Keep away electronic devices. "Banning electronic devices from the bedroom also helps," Wendy Hall, UBC sleep specialist, said to CTVNews. Do not let kids participate in any stimulating doings. That means after dinner, no computers/laptops, no TV, no video games and no music.
- Refrain co-sleeping. The impact of chronic co-sleeping on person's functioning, both older and younger, can run the range from increased dependency and anxiety to memory loss, obesity, depression, low energy and fatigue, according to report posted in Huffingtonpost. Thus experts say to refrain co-sleeping and instead sit beside the kid's bed and wait for the child to fall sleep.
- Stick to bedtime rules. Parents should stick with bedtime rules and must be consistent. If kids were given extra time for other activities before bedtime, they'll know that bedtime rules are not consistent and can be broken sometimes.
