Children Who Go To Bed Late May Suffer From A Variety Of Other Diseases
Are we too strict when parents tell our children to go to bed early? If there are certain studies to be believed, we are not, because they say that children who go to bed late may suffer from more different ailments than others.
Going to bed while children is not a new habit, but has been practiced for generations – and even today, experts speak for it. According to child psychiatrist José Ferreira Belisario, in previous decades it was much easier for children to get to bed on time, and the task has become more difficult year by year. Unfortunately, poor sleep patterns predispose children to various problems and diseases.
Can a child’s poor sleeping habits be changed?
The answer to the question is, of course, yes, but it requires effort from the whole family. If a child’s habits are to change, the habits of the whole family must change. If a child hears the rest of the family making a loud noise or sees bright lights and screens on top of electronic devices, they may think it’s still time to play rather than sleep.
José Ferreira Belisario shares a few tips to help your child go to bed early:
- It is good for the whole family to go to bed at the same time. Even if the parents don’t actually sleep, it’s good to create a peaceful and quiet atmosphere in the home.
- Reading fairy tales before going to bed is a good habit. As the child becomes accustomed to the evening tale, he begins to realize that the moment of the tale is a time of calming down, followed by going to bed.
- Use of yellow light. At home or at least in the bedroom, it is advisable to use lamps that produce soft yellow light, as such light calms and stimulates the onset of sleep.
- The child’s sleep should not be disturbed. This also means that smartphones, for example, should be kept silent so that a late incoming text message does not wake the child.
- Exercise helps the child sleep. Activity and exercise tires the baby in a healthy way, making him or her ready to go to bed earlier and fall asleep more easily.
Children who go to bed late may suffer from more different ailments than others
According to experts, it is good for children to go to bed early, as growth hormone, which is important for physical growth, is secreted especially during the deep sleep phase. If you go to bed late, you will not have as much secretion of that hormone. One study compared the brain function of children who go to bed early and late. When performing math experiments, children who went to bed earlier performed more tasks than their peers who went to bed later. Based on the results, it was concluded that children who slept less were able to retain less information and solve fewer problems.
Some experts also believe that children who go to bed early have a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease than their peers who go to bed late. The reason for this is that the risk of illness can be reduced through exercise and adequate sleep. The three factors mentioned above are big enough reasons why parents should teach their children to go to bed on time and get enough sleep during the night. Sufficient sleep reduces the risk of various problems and health problems.
Technology makes children control late
At the home of Dr. Belén Esparis, the children put their electronic devices in a common basket every night before going to bed. This medical director of Mount Sinai Hospital’s sleep clinic says it used to be common for her children to secretly use their tablets under cover. He laughs almost having to remove the door from his son’s room because of the problem.
According to studies, the blue light of electronic devices affects a person for a long time and interferes with sleep. Leonardo Torres, a professor of ear, nose and throat at the University of Miami, says it is now known that using a variety of smart devices before going to bed reduces the amount of sleep 17 to 45 minutes a night. According to a study by Torres, the use of a two-hour smart device reduces the secretion of melatonin, which is vital for sleep, by up to 20 percent.
