A 1999 National Sleep Foundation survey
on Sleep in America reported 60% of children under 18 reported being tired
and 15% said they had fallen asleep in class. These are the results of
millions of children experiencing problems sleeping.
Children need 9 to 10 hours of sleep every night. Insufficient sleep can
result in seriously impaired performance and behavior - in school, sports
and other activities. Kids need more sleep than adults so they need to
sleep on a bed that provides a comfortable and healthy sleeping environment.
Dr. James Maas, sleep expert and professor at Cornell University, says
that kids 14 years and younger need at least 9 1/2 hours of uninterrupted
sleep a night. Older teenagers, despite their protestations to the contrary,
should still be getting a healthy night's rest of about 9 hours because
of the emotional and physical changes they are experiencing11.
Today’s
teens are a sleep-deprived generation that drinks more caffeine, gets
up earlier for school and goes to bed later than ever.
Some
tips for kids:
• Don’t rely on caffeine to keep you awake – it’ll make it more difficult when you try to fall asleep.
• Keep regular bedtime hours.
• Try to limit late-night computer usage. Being on the computer stimulates adrenalin and, like caffeine, makes it difficult to fall asleep.
• Get homework done early in the evening whenever possible.
Some tips for parents:
• Make sure kids understand it’s important to get a good night’s sleep. Don’t sacrifice good health for good grades; it’s likely their grades will suffer without adequate sleep.
• Encourage your kids to go to bed at the same time every night and that they get an adequate number of hours of sleep, depending on their age.
• Let your children sleep in if they’re tired on the weekends – it’s probably not just laziness. Make sure, however, that their oversleeping isn’t because of depression or other medical problems.
• Make sure your child has a good quality mattress set that provides proper support and is comfortable to him or her. A hand-me-down mattress isn’t appropriate – you should invest in a mattress set for your child just as you should for yourself.
• Children need a dark, quiet, cool bedroom setting just as adults do.
• Develop a nightly ritual of bedtime activities for younger children such as reading to them or singing and don’t divert from it.
Visit
a Mattress Discounters Sleep Counselor
who can help you find the right mattress set for your child.
11 Source: Simmons;
Simmons web site; www.simmons.com
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