Let's begin with making sure your child gets enough sleep according to how old they are. Now I am sure that this isn't the first time you have wondered if your child has been getting enough sleep. Chances are you have read many charts that tell you how many hours they should be sleeping. The truth is, none of these charts give a magic number of hours that you must leave them in their crib or room. The amount of sleep needed is determined by the way they react to life upon awakening. Which brings us to the symptoms of sleep deprivation or lack of sufficient sleep.
As adults, when we haven't been getting enough sleep or haven't gone through all five sleep cycles uninterrupted then we start to feel exhausted or fatigued throughout the day. If you don't sleep long enough to enter REM (rapid eye movement) cycle you will have problems concentrating and with short term memory, often becoming irritated with difficulty managing emotions. On average we need about seven to eight hours to feel fully rested. Everyone has their own individual needs, suggested amounts are based on what an average person needs determined by their behavior and performance.
Children respond similarly to lack of sleep expect for one thing. They often become hyperactive when they haven't had enough sleep. According to the American Psychological Association it isn't uncommon for sleep deprivation to develop into ADD or ADHD. Without uninterrupted sleep, they haven't entered REM enough times to replenish and strengthen the neurons that are still working constantly at their age to grow new nerve cells. This makes it difficult for a sleep deprived brain to concentrate or control itself. When a child isn't getting proper sleep due to many different things, they awake without the ability to manage their emotions. Which is why they cry and whine over things we see as silly things to be upset about. Children are already trying so hard to understand the world around them, the proper amount of sleep makes this process more pleasant with a rested mind and body.
So, how do you know if your child is really getting enough sleep? After all, isn't it normal for a child to scream and cry every time a toy is taken away or is asked to do something they don't feel like doing? My theory is if your child wakes up pleasant, smiling, and ready to play then they slept well. For infants this is nearly impossible to tell, because you don't know if their crankiness is from an upset stomach, hunger, pain, or another discomfort. Which is why there are charts! From birth to six months the average is fifteen to eighteen hours in a twenty four hour day. Six months to nine months the hours dwindle to about fourteen and a quarter, then to about thirteen and three quarters around a year old. From one to two years it goes to thirteen hours. These are all within twenty four hours, including naps. Usually they will sleep ten to twelve hours a night and nap two to three hours during the day. This only happens if they are put to bed early though. We will discuss that more in the next post! Once they go to school, they need at least eleven hours. By the time they are eighteen, they only need as much as we do, about eight.
If your child is described by any of the above symptoms, such as hyperactivity, difficulty falling asleep at night, frequently waking at night, having nightmares or terrors, having difficulty concentrating or focusing during the day, or poorly managing their emotions, then they are most likely not getting sufficient sleep. There are of course other things that contribute to poor sleep, but that's for the next post! Now that you know what you are dealing with and that your child isn't trying to be impossible, you will be able to better respond to him knowing that it's not his fault he has trouble listening to you. Remember, your child is his own person and it's not how much sleep he gets, but how he responds to the world upon awakening!
The next post will be up soon to provide valuable ways to make sure your child is sleeping enough.
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