Knock down 24hr entertainment to get the right amount of Z’s

Research has shown that sleep has an impact on a child’s well-being, behaviour, educational achievement, and cognitive and language development. For many parents, simply saying ‘go to bed’ is an insufficient strategy to ensure children and young people are getting enough sleep. In this current generation of 24-hour entertainment, it can be extremely difficult to provide an environment for kids to unwind, relax and fall asleep.

The quality as well as the length of sleep is important. Good quality sleep consists of periods of noninterruption when the child can enter the deeper stages of sleep, referred to as non-REM.

Research shows that sleep helps us consolidate learnt information and perform better during learning activities. Hence, there has been a focus on improving sleep as an intervention to improve academic performance. One suggestion is the adjustment of the school day to maximise learning for adolescents.

The internal body clock known as circadian rhythm helps our body cycle between sleepiness and alertness at regular intervals throughout a 24-hour period. This internal system has been implicated in our understanding of why some people prefer the morning to do their work while others perform better later in the evening.

Invariably, this can have an impact on some learners who prefer to work later in the day but are required

to attend school in the morning. In practice, this may mean some learners may do better during independent study tasks at home in the evening while others may perform better in the classroom during early morning lessons.

We know that our circadian rhythm works best when we have regular sleep habits. In order to help children get sufficient, good-quality sleep, parents should implement a sleep routine and provide an environment that will minimise disruption. This could include a warm bath before bed, limiting screen use before bedtime, dim lighting within their sleeping space, a good temperature room (i.e. 18C - 24C) and quietness.

Three main factors are implicated in sleep difficulties: biology (age, health), psychology (stress, anxiety) and environmental factors (sleep conditions, disturbances). Any one factor or a combination of factors can lead to impoverished sleep. Seeking a consultation with an expert should be considered when sleep difficulties persist despite a good sleep routine.