When the head and neck are well supported the shoulders tend to remain square and this position is repeated through the lower back and pelvis. Sleeping on your side allows the body to maintain a neutral posture which is the ideal position for the spine, allowing the nerves and spinal cord to be in a state of minimal tension.
Sleep is a time for repair, growth and immune activity, all of which are governed by the nervous system. It is logical that if the spinal cord and nerves are in an optimal position they will function most effectively and allow the brain to direct its most important job; to allow your child to thrive.
69% of children 10 and under experience at least one sleep problem a few times a week or more according to the National Sleep Foundation.
Healthy natural sleep for children stimulates growth, proper brain development, memory alertness and strengthens the immune systems. Children who get enough sleep are more likely to function better and are less prone to behavioural problems and moodiness. Many studies around the world have now contributed poor school performance, hyperactivity and behavioural problems to poor sleep patterns, snoring and sleep apnea in children. Reference: Dr Reza Samvat, Sleep for Children, www.sleep4health.com.au, visited 19 February 2012
Children with moderate/severe sleep problems were 12 times more likely than those with no sleep problems to receive a diagnosis of ADHD/ADD.
In a study involving 4983 Australian families the estimated national prevalence of mild sleep problems was 19.8% Children with moderate/severe sleep problems were 12 times more likely than those with no sleep problems to receive a diagnosis of ADHD/ADD. Reference: Harriet Hiscock MD, Louise Canterford GDipSci(Stats), Obioha C. Ukoumunne PhD, Melissa Wake MD, Adverse Associations of Sleep Problems in Australian Preschoolers: National Population Study, Paediatrics, Vol 119 Jan 2007, www.pediatricsdigest.mobi, visited 19 February 2012
Children who do not get enough sleep may display symptoms including moodiness, tantrums and hyperactive behaviour.
Sleep deprivation can lead to fatigue, learning and concentration difficulties and accidents. Children who do not get enough sleep may display symptoms including moodiness, tantrums and hyperactive behaviour.
Reference: Sleep Deprivation, The Better Health Channel, www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/, visited 19 February 2012
Nearly a quarter of children aged 6 and 7 have poor sleeping habits, which has a major effect on their health, behaviour and learning ability.
According to new study by Australian researchers, a lack of sleep can have a negative effect on the ability of children to both learn and interact at school. The new study by researchers from the Centre for Community Child Health at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Melbourne, has revealed that nearly a quarter of children aged six and seven have poor sleeping habits, which has a major effect on their health, behaviour and learning ability.
Reference: Child Health News, Lack of sleep means kids do it hard at school, News Medical 7th July 2008, www.news-medical.net, visited 19 February 2012
Long-term sleep related problems may start as early as infancy, and that both paediatricians and parents need to do more to ensure that children develop healthy sleeping habits.
Inadequate sleep in childhood can have long-lasting health effects… increasingly, research suggests that long-term sleep related problems may start as early as infancy, and that both paediatricians and parents need to do more to ensure that children develop healthy sleeping habits.
Reference: Tiffany Sharples, How Not to Get Baby to Sleep, Time Health, April 08, 2008, www.time.com, visited 19 February 2012
Long-term sleep related problems may start as early as infancy, and that both paediatricians and parents need to do more to ensure that children develop healthy sleeping habits.
Inadequate sleep in childhood can have long-lasting health effects… increasingly, research suggests that long-term sleep related problems may start as early as infancy, and that both paediatricians and parents need to do more to ensure that children develop healthy sleeping habits.
Reference: Tiffany Sharples, How Not to Get Baby to Sleep, Time Health, April 08, 2008, www.time.com, visited 19 February 2012
It's common to see irritability and hyperactivity in sleep-deprived children.
Many children in our society don’t get adequate amounts of sleep. Contrary to what one might expect, it’s common to see irritability and hyperactivity in sleep-deprived children.
Reference: Craig Lambert, Deep into Sleep, Harvard Magazine, July-Aug 2005, www.harvardmagazine.com, visited 19 February 2012
Kids who slept less than 9 hours each day had 3-5 times the odds of developing attention problems, behavior problems, and other psychiatric symptoms.
In a study of 297 Finnish families with children aged 5-6 years, researchers found that kids who slept less than 9 hours each day had 3-5 times the odds of developing attention problems, behavior problems, and other psychiatric symptoms.
Reference: Gwen Dewar, Sleep requirements: A Guide for the science-minded parent, September 2011. www.parentingscience.com, visited 19 February 2012
Chronic lack of sleep can affect a young child's development.
Sleep is the primary brain activity for infants,” said Lynn D’Andrea, MD, chief of the Division of Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin. “Chronic lack of sleep can affect a young child’s development. Reference: Sleep deprivation has serious consequences for children, 3rd June 2008, www.chw.org, visited 19 February 2012
Kids who'd gotten less than 10 hours of night-time sleep at the beginning of the study were twice as likely to become overweight or obese later on.
Another recent study tracked the development of obesity in young children. In that study, researchers recorded the body weights and sleep habits of kids under five years of age. Then, five years later, they measured the kids again. The study revealed a link between sleep loss and obesity. Kids who’d gotten less than 10 hours of night-time sleep at the beginning of the study were twice as likely to become overweight or obese later on.
Reference: Gwen Dewar, Sleep requirements: A guide for the science-minded parent, September 2011, www.parentingscience.com, visited 19 February 2012
Approximately 25% of children younger than 5 years of age experience some type of sleep problem.
Many toddlers and elementary school children respond to insufficient sleep with irritability, crankiness, low frustration tolerance, and short attention span. In addition, numerous authors have noted a potential link between insufficient sleep and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. Approximately 25% of children younger than 5 years experience some type of sleep problem.
Reference: Ronald E Dahl, The impact of inadequate sleep on children’s daytime cognitive function. Seminars in Pediatric Neurology 3: 44-50, 23rd May 2006, www.sciencedirect.com, visited 19 February 2012
It's even possible that many of the hallmark characteristics of being a tweener and teen-moodiness, depression, and even binge eating - are actually symptoms of chronic sleep deprivation.
The surprise is how much sleep affects academic performance and emotional stability, as well as phenomena that we assumed to be entirely unrelated, such as the international obesity epidemic and the rise of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. A few scientists theorize that sleep problems during formative years can cause permanent changes in a child’s brain structure: damage that one can’t sleep off like a hangover. It’s even possible that many of the hallmark characteristics of being a tweener and teen—moodiness, depression, and even binge eating—are actually symptoms of chronic sleep deprivation.
Reference: Po Bronson, Snooze or Lose, 7th October 2007, www.nymag.com, visited 19 February 2012
The less sleep children get, the more likely they are to perform poorly in school, to become depressed, and to have a poor sense of self-worth.
The less sleep children get, the more likely they are to perform poorly in school, to become depressed, and to have a poor sense of self-worth, according to a study of 2,259 Illinois middle school students published in the January-February 2004 issue of Child Development.
Reference: Smooth Parenting Blog, Effects of Lack of Sleep in Children, 5th May 2010, www.smoothparenting.wordpress.com, visited 19 February 2012
Kids are notoriously bad judges of their own sleepiness.
Kids are notoriously bad judges of their own sleepiness. In experiments where 8-10 year olds were not permitted to sleep more than 4 hours at night, kids performed worse on cognitive tests. But (no surprises here!) these same kids insisted that they were not sleepy (Dement and Vaughan 1999).
Reference: Gwen Dewar, Signs of Sleep Deprivation in Children and Adults: A guide for the science-minded parent, 2008, www.parentingscience.com, visited 19 February 2012
The sleep-wake cycle likewise regulates normal functioning of the immune system.
The complex and intimate interactions between the sleep and immune systems have been the focus of study for several years. Immune factors, particularly the interleukins, regulate sleep and in turn are altered by sleep and sleep deprivation. The sleep-wake cycle likewise regulates normal functioning of the immune system.
Reference: Rogers NL, Szuba MP, Staab JP, Evans DL, and Dinges DF. 2001. Neuroimmunologic aspects of sleep and sleep loss. Semin. Clin. Neuropsychiatry 6(4): 295-307., 2001, www.ukpmc.ac.uk, visited 19 February 2012
