Not all children need to sleep the same hours, but all parents should seek the basis for a good rest. The latter translates into marking an hour of going to bed, ensuring adequate environmental conditions for sleeping, monitoring the time at which they fall asleep and setting the alarm clock for at least nine hours later (if they are teenagers the minimum can descend to eight and a half hours, but not less).
When I say nine hours minimum, I mean bedtime, not since they get into bed; and when I say monitor the time when they fall asleep, I mean make sure (according to age) that mobile or portable devices are not available, nor a television monitor in the room.
That you can't take your 14-year-old son from his smartphone when he enters the room? Of course you can: you have a responsibility for your health, the repercussions of sleep deficits, the possible 'misuse' of the phone, ... and Above all you have paid it and therefore you have the right to set standards, more would be missing.
An article in a Montevideo newspaper refers to a 1998 study by Amy R. Wolfson and Mary A. Carskadon among 3,000 teenagers (also reviewed by the American Pchycological Association). Already then it was found that underperforming high school students used to sleep on average 25 minutes less, and went to bed 40 minutes later than others who had better school performance.
AdvertisingIn 2002, an article by Denise Grady in the New York Times, once again affected the lack of sleep of American adolescents, stating that many come to live in a state of chronic sleep deficit that will soon affect the mood , behavior, academic results and reaction time.
Teens should also create reasonable sleeping habits.
They are just examples of the warnings that although they do not occupy the front pages of the newspapers, they arrive on time. In fact, also in Spain (and in 2012), the Spanish Association of Pediatrics, showed the results of another study, according to which 75 percent of adolescents admit they need more hours to sleep.
Daytime sleepiness does not lead to anything good, and it is not a problem that is solved by drinking coffee since the age of 15 (and reaching seven cups a day at 21), because any stimulant - especially taken in the last hours of the day - makes nighttime rest difficult.
On this occasion, the specialists insisted again that it is better not to use the Internet, or the tablet applications, or watch television, immediately (and when I say immediately I mean at least the previous 90 minutes) of going to bed . Permitivity on weekends also does not help in the regulation of sleep ...
In Kids Health they talk about circadian rhythms: during adolescence these are regulated and the body asks to wake up later, so it may be hard for them to go to bed soon. In addition to this at these ages they all seem to be very busy, because of the pressure in the studies, the emergence of new and multiple interests, the need to spend a lot of time with friends, etc.
However, it is always recommended create reasonable habits and more according to the rhythm of Nature: that is, getting used to waking up in the daylight, and starting to slow down after it gets dark (don't laugh because this would be the most appropriate, even if we don't).
For teenagers too it will be useful to establish a regular bedtime schedule at night, exercise regularly, get used to relax the mind (no scary movies or war video games before bedtime), reduce the intensity of the lights after bedtime, organize the study well so as not to stay until 3 am the day before the exam (this is unnecessary).
What I come to say is that in both young children and adolescents, bedtime is being delayed, and the alarm sounds the same as 30 years ago. And also that in addition to all the consequences mentioned above, getting sleepy can cause emotional and behavioral problems. Do we propose it and put more interest in this?
