I actually asked myself one day, how much sleep is recommended for kids? ⠀⠀⠀
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After wading through a minefield of content, I drew out the most commonly agreed upon determinations from researchers:
Most kids between 3-5yrs need around 11-13 hours of sleep a night and possibly a 1 hour nap during the day.
Kids between 5-12yrs need 9.5-11 hours an evening.
Personally, I know with my kids, they all had their own sleep needs and not one of them was the same! Some kids actually require more sleep than others to function well. All of this is fine however, but, the problems start when their body doesn't have enough hours of rest and our job then becomes the “Sleep Police”.
You can often gauge your kids sleep deprivation via their behaviours:
1. Cranky…more than usual!2. Argumentative….oh great!
3. Grizzly and whingey...you know the drill!
4. Tough time following directions and this in turn can also affect their learning
5. Prone to more colds as their immune systems are running on low
6. Younger children at pre-school / kinder can find it difficult to make friends
- are less social
- less willing to participate⠀
- classroom activities become a chore
- they have difficulty paying attention
- can’t retain information.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Sleep is also critical to the growth of your child and their body's ability to maintain a healthy immune system. We all know how important that is in this day and age!!⠀⠀
Sleep related disorders including insomnia, sleep apnea, snoring, excessive daytime sleepiness, hypertension, sleepwalking, and paediatric sleep problems require specialist attention. Never be afraid to reach out for help in your local area. We already know how important is for growing bodies.
