Parents across the country will be hoping they have everything they need for back-to-school season. But is your child getting enough sleep to cope with all that new information? Lucy Wolfe, Paediatric Sleep Consultant and author of The Baby Sleep Solution joined Miriam O’Callaghan to give listeners her advice.
Lucy estimates that children of school-going age, between 5 and 13, should be in "at least around the ten to twelve hours range" when it comes to sleep, with teenagers coming in at the "ten-hour mark".
"We’re all affected by lack of sleep but specifically for young children, obviously they have an inability to concentrate well, lack of motivation, increased negative thought processes. But also, there’s a wide range of health implications too."
Lack of sleep can put children at increased risk for "behavioural and emotional issues" and diabetes, Lucy says.
She described the chemical reaction that takes place when we are over-tired, an influx of cortisol and adrenaline to the system that makes us "resist" sleep.
When it comes to the perfect night time routine to avoid this, it all comes down to one thing: "Trying to get the timing right is probably one of the first pieces of the puzzle."
There are a number of steps parents can take to help their child get into a more regular routine. Lucy recommends having the last meal about 2 hours before bedtime, avoiding sugary foods, reducing screen time and about 20 minutes of downtime before sleep.
"The sleep need is the same, month in month out. During the summer months, of course, as parents, myself included, we‘re more relaxed about bedtimes and very often young children don’t get enough sleep in the summer because they go to bed later but they don’t necessarily sleep later."
If you have fallen out of a routine when it comes to your child and sleep, now is the time to address it, according to Lucy.
"When you go back to school then I suppose it’s the key time to look at re-establishing the concept of the earlier bedtime to coincide with the earlier wake time that’s necessary to get to school and then, of course, to be able to be at your academic best throughout the course of the day.
Listen back to the full discussion on Today with Miriam O’Callaghan above.
