It's surprising to learn, but according to the study authors, science doesn't know much about sleep in healthy children. Their goal was to investigate this issue. The children who participated in the study also took part in another study that tracked their sleep and rest. In addition, they tracked their eating habits and activities. The same study continued over several weeks, changing their sleeping habits alternately, and lengthening sleeping hours or shortening them. Between each such occurrence, there was a week when the children slept as usual.
A hundred children aged 8-12 participated in the study, none of whom had sleep problems in the past - a crucial fact. The researchers changed their sleep habits by delaying it by an hour (sleep restriction) or requiring them to go to bed an hour earlier (sleep extension). The children still woke up at the same time they were supposed to wake up every morning. The researchers then asked parents and children to evaluate the child's health and life with a questionnaire.
The research community praised the study for demonstrating that even a slight reduction in sleeping time can negatively impact children's health and quality of life. This includes their ability to cope with the school environment. The study found that on average, a reduction of only 39 minutes had a harmful effect.
Dr. Azizi Sykes, director of the Center for Sleep Medicine at the University of Miami, emphasizes the importance of parents taking sleep seriously, as it can affect various aspects of their children's lives, including food choices, exercise motivation, and social skills.
Dr. Sykes suggests giving sleep a high priority, even for adults. This means that each family member should maintain sleep hygiene, and according to him, the biggest challenge is disconnecting from electronic devices. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the "main enemy" preventing us from sleeping is the blue light emitted by the screens of those devices (smartphones, televisions, computers). This light sends a signal to the brain to wake up, which makes it difficult to fall asleep after exposure.
According to Sykes, it is crucial for parents to establish a consistent sleep routine for their children to promote healthy physical and mental development through adequate sleep. This routine should be maintained throughout the year, regardless of events or changes. By doing so, children can sleep better and for a sufficient amount of time which benefits them. Sykes also emphasizes that there is no way to make up for lost sleep, and insufficient or poor-quality sleep can have negative effects that cannot be reversed. He refers to this as "sleep bankruptcy," and once sleep is lost, the negative impact is irreversible.
