About 30 per cent of children suffer from sleep disorders, with profound implications for their physical and emotional health, as well as their academic performance. Despite the prevalence and impact of these disorders, access to effective interventions is limited in Quebec and worldwide. On March 15, International World Sleep Day, sleep researchers are raising awareness about this critical need.
While poor sleep was linked to higher levels of stress during the COVID-19 pandemic, more teens actually obtained the recommended amount of sleep compared to pre-pandemic sleep patterns, according to a new study from McGill University. Changes to daily routines triggered by lockdowns allowed teenagers to follow their biological impulse to wake up and sleep later, reducing daytime sleepiness.
Keeping a routine is important for everyone, including children and adolescents, says pediatric sleep expert Reut Gruber, an associate professor in the department of psychiatry at McGill University. Your brain needs “zeitgebers” (time givers), or cues from the environment, to recognize day from night, she says. These zeitgebers include having breakfast and exposing yourself to daylight in the morning, for instance, Dr. Gruber says. At night, the body produces melatonin when it gets dark, which tells your brain it is time to go to sleep.
Bad sleep habits in children begin earlier than many experts assume. That’s the takeaway from a new study led by McGill University researchers. The findings suggest that official sleep guidelines for young school children should be revisited – and that parents ought to maintain firm bedtime rules throughout children’s primary-school years.
"To sleep - to sleep, perchance to dream”, these words made famous by William Shakespeare, in the play Hamlet are familiar to many of us. But did you know that sleep is just as important as diet and exercise for a healthy lifestyle?
Read full artcile: http://healthland.time.com/2012/10/15/more-sleep-means-more-focused-emotionally-stable-kids/#ixzz29kYl97FI