Spring sleepiness, summer fatigue, autumn naps, have your children gotten enough sleep?

For most parents, the healthy growth of their children is their biggest concern, and adequate sleep is an indispensable part of it. But do children really get enough sleep? 01 How much sleep is enough for children?

In 2021, the General Office of the Ministry of Education issued the "Notice on Further Strengthening the Sleep Management of Primary and Secondary School Students", requiring primary school students to sleep 10 hours a day, junior high school students to sleep 9 hours, and high school students to sleep 8 hours. However, according to the 2022 "White Paper on China's National Health Sleep", the average sleep time of primary school, junior high school and high school students in my country is only 7.65, 7.48 and 6.5 hours respectively, which are all less than the required sleep time, and more than half of children and adolescents aged 6-18 sleep for 8 hours or less. Sleep not only affects the development of the body, but also has an important impact on the development of the brain. During deep sleep, the brain organizes and stores information to help improve memory and learning ability. Adequate sleep can improve children's attention, creativity and cognitive abilities, enabling them to perform better in learning and daily life. So, are your children really getting enough sleep? Let's take a test together!

02What are the dangers of lack of sleep for children and adolescents?

① Affects growth and mental health

The human body can synthesize various substances needed by the body very well when sleeping and resting. Long-term lack of sleep or poor sleep quality is not only not conducive to the synthesis and secretion of growth hormone in children and adolescents, and has an adverse effect on growth and development, but is also prone to various mental health problems such as depression and anxiety.

② Affects memory and academic performance

Long-term lack of sleep can easily lead to a series of adverse consequences such as insufficient oxygen supply to the brain, brain cell damage, and decreased brain function, which in turn affects the memory and academic performance of children and adolescents. ③ Impact on immune function Sleep is a process of body repair. If children and adolescents often lack sleep, their immunity and resistance will be reduced, making them prone to colds, respiratory infections and other problems.

03What are the factors that affect teenagers’ sleep?

① Physiological factors

Physical diseases such as adenoids hypertrophy, obstructive sleep apnea, allergic rhinitis, as well as psychological diseases such as depression and anxiety can affect the sleep of children and adolescents.

② Social factors

Academic pressure is one of the important factors that affect teenagers' sleep. Heavy study makes the brain overloaded for a long time, which leads to the destruction of the balance of the brain system and affects sleep.

③ Behavioral factors

Long-term improper use of electronic products, such as staying up late playing games, watching TV series, and watching videos, will lead to biological cycle disorders, resulting in inability to sleep at bedtime and drowsiness during the day.

④ Environmental factors

Bad sleeping environment such as noise and too much light in the bedroom can seriously affect the quality of sleep. The light in the bedroom can interfere with the secretion of melatonin in the brain at night, affecting the sleep time and quality of teenagers.

04How to improve children’s sleep quality?

① Develop a good sleep routine

There are two golden periods for the body to secrete growth hormone during sleep: from 11 pm to 1 am and from 5 am to 7 am . If children can enter a deep sleep state during these two time periods, it will help the growth and development of bones.

With the help of their parents, children can develop a good habit of going to bed on time and form a fixed biological clock, which will help them fall asleep quickly.

Let your child go to bed and get up at roughly the same time every day. Do not break the routine because of weekends. This will help the brain develop the habit of regularly secreting melatonin, which can effectively help children sleep.

② Correct bad sleeping habits

Parents should remind their children not to do strenuous exercise one hour before bedtime and not to eat large amounts two hours before bedtime.

According to the "China National Healthy Sleep White Paper" survey, entertainment has replaced study pressure as the primary reason for children and adolescents to stay up late, and the time children spend using electronic products before bedtime should be reduced .

③Create a comfortable sleeping environment

Maintain appropriate room temperature and good ventilation, choose comfortable mattresses and pillows, avoid light and noise interference, and create a quiet and warm sleeping environment to help children fall asleep and sleep deeply.