EYES WIDE OPEN..

Being a busy mother of four children if I were given a choice between winning the lottery or a good night sleep, a good night of undisturbed sleep will always be my first choice with no regrets. YES, I am desperate. I always joke around saying that I haven't had a good night's sleep in the last fifteen years. You say a bit of exaggeration on my part, but hand on heart I can truthfully say that I wake up every night even for a moment to do a quick check on my children. In the early years when they were babies, obviously my sleep patterns mimicked their haphazard ones, making me a walking zombie. I pined for the later, older years, when a good eight hours of sleep would feel like heaven. But as they got older, the problems got complicated. Now I am plagued with late night study sessions for the fledgling O leveller or early morning sports practices for my ever eager athlete. Yes my blessed sleep is doomed!

With my children, their sleep situation is a different story. As George Bernard Shaw said “Youth is wasted on the young”...i would like to add that so is the opportunity blessed upon them to have a good night's sleep! They turn up their noses at afternoon naps and the preparation for bedtime can be an experiment into how long can Mummy keep her cool till she internally combusts! I believe they would more happily get their monthly shots than succumb to an early night of rest. On weekends, where I am quite lax with bedtimes they will fight their hardest to keep their little eyes open watching the late night T.V shows. But the reality of the matter is, and despite how hard your little ones will fight it, children need their sleep. An essential requirement for all growing children is that crucial eight hours of rest. Failing to achieve this continuously will result in mood swings flaring up, grumpiness, lethargy and general noncompliance. Typically children between the ages of 5 and 12 should get at least 10 to 11 hours of shut-eye according to the experts. So if kids are to be up say around 7 am, they have to be in bed by at least 7.30 or 8pm in the night. If they do not get the adequate, undisturbed sleep recommended they plod on through their busy day of school and activities only to be half awake. A tired mind does not compute lessons learnt in class and their studies suffer. Feeling constantly exhausted their tempers are short and this becomes a vicious cycle where you are perpetually at battle with them to accomplish even the littlest of things. Inadequate sleep patterns also tend to stunt children's growth. It also affects their immunity, since they have not had the adequate rest needed for their growing bodies. I know most mothers will moan and groan about their numerous futile attempts at trying to get their children to sleep at a reasonable hour, it's not easy without eventually screaming at the top of your lungs' GET TO BED!'. But here are more reasonable ways of accomplishing the not so impossible:

Sleep deprivation in a child is a serious issue and one that can snowball into a crisis if not recognised and treated immediately. It's just a simple solution of making sure your child gets the adequate sleep required at that age. When they get a good night's sleep, so do you and we are all more enjoyable people to live with in the end. GOOD NIGHT!

Typically, children between the ages of 5 and 12 should get at least 10 to 11 hours of shut-eye according to the experts. So if kids are to be up say around 7 am, they have to be in bed by at least 7.30 or 8pm in the night