Kids have a lot to distract them from a good night's sleep
A new study has revealed that parents need to show more appreciation when it comes to their childs sleeping habits.
The first ever transatlantic survey into sleep patterns of children has revealed that although children in the UK and the US might share similar habits, there is a big difference in their parents' views of a good night's sleep.
The UK’s Sleep Council teamed up with the USA’s Better Sleep Council to conduct the research which polled the parents of 1,000 UK and 1,000 US children aged from seven to 18 years old.
The survey found that in the US, almost half of parents believe their child gets better grades as a result of getting more sleep compared to less than a quarter of UK parents. Ninety per cent of US parents felt that their child’s mattress was an important factor for a good night’s sleep compared to sixty per cent of UK parents.
Getting enough sleep allows children to react more quickly to situations, have a more developed memory, learn more effectively and solve problems, according to Children's Hospital of Michigan.
Jessica Alexander from the Sleep Council said: “In the USA there is much greater awareness of the adverse effects of poor sleep habits. In the UK, sleep has not yet been given equal status with diet and exercise as being fundamental to health and wellbeing. To coin a new phrase we need to ‘catch up on our sleepreciation!’”
The research also shows that almost a quarter of seven-18 year olds in the UK are losing sleep because of worry. Over half of seven-11 year olds worry about friendships and family issues while 29 per cent worry about school (grades, homework and classes) compared to 56 per cent of American children. Only a quarter of children, according to their parents, have no worries at all.
Children’s sleep expert Kathleen McGrath said: “Children are, perhaps surprisingly, natural worriers but it’s of concern if they regularly lose sleep through worry. If sleep during childhood is disturbed it can hinder growth and development and cause all kinds of problems for child and parent alike.”
The survey shows that with the new school year just days away, most children are likely to experience some disruption to their sleep pattern with one in three UK and US children expecting to get less sleep and four in ten getting more sleep when they go back to school.
Among those children in the UK who get less sleep when they go back to school, almost half are noticeably crabbier. Kathleen said: “All children are crabby when they are tired but to overcome this they need to learn to identify the symptoms of tiredness so they can deal with it and start ‘achieving’ real sleep. Getting them into a good routine is absolutely paramount to this.”
Aside from worry, other things that prevent children from sleeping are homework, while one in five said electronic devices such as computers and televisions in the bedroom distracted them from sleep. In the US this figure jumped to a staggering 33 per cent.
Kathleen said: “The proliferation of mobile phones and laptop computers means children feel like they need to be in touch all the time but they also need to understand that ‘switching off’ and indulging in quiet time is really important and actually quite normal. Parents can help by limiting computer time and encouraging an electronic-free bed environment.”
Tips to help your child get back into a worry-free sleep routine: