Is your child getting enough sleep? How can you tell and what can you do about it?

The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) released a survey which estimated that one-third of toddlers and preschoolers and nearly one in four school aged children aren't getting enough sleep.

The consequences for lack of sleep are hardly unknown to parents who have themselves been victims of sleepless nights during the early childhood years. But what are the specific problems that affect children who are lacking sleep?

SLEEP AND MEMORY:

In studies with adults it has been shown that a lack of sleep affects attention and arousal. We are all aware of the problems caused by drowsy drivers who have been at the wheel too long and veer off the road or cause deadly accidents.

In a study with children who were restricted in sleep they did not score as well on memory, attention and learning tests the next day.

SLEEP AND BEHAVIOR:

In an article on children and sleeping problems by Today's Parent there was a quote from John Bates, a developmental psychologist. In two studies trying to find a link between sleep deficit and behaviour problems he stated that "it could be that sleep deficit causes the behavior problems or it could be that behaviour problems, and all that goes along with that, could make it harder for children to settle down for sleep, or that some unknown problem is causing both the sleep and behaviour problems."

Whichever is the case he still claims that in some cases they have had success and achieved dramatic behavioral improvements simply by increasing a child's sleep.

Although this should not be considered a solution for serious behavior problems, if your child seems unduly irritable, over-active or cranky you may find putting them to bed an hour earlier will create a drastic improvement.

HOW MUCH SLEEP DO THEY NEED?

Each individual has their own needs, but generally speaking the NSF suggests children three to five should get 11 to 13 hours of sleep (including naps); five to 12 year olds need 10 to 11 hours and teens 13 to 18 should try to get 8.5 to 9.25 hours per night.

If you suspect a problem related to sleep then consider whether you notice if the problem is connected. Is your child more irritable and cranky late in the day? Is she often hard to waken or difficult to get to sleep in the first place? Does she waken frequently during the night?

If you feel the issue is sleep related and putting your child to bed earlier is not working, talk to your doctor about other steps you can take. It is a long term benefit to diagnose sleeping problems early on.