Make sure your child gets a good night's rest

Sleep, like diet and exercise, is important for our minds and bodies to function normally. We all need it. While we sleep, many of the body’s major organ and regulatory systems continue to work. Some parts of the brain actually increase their activity dramatically and the body produces more of certain hormones.

Sleepiness due to chronic lack of adequate sleep is a problem in the United States and affects both children and adults. Most children and adolescents need at least 9 hours of sleep each night to do their best. Most adults need approximately 8 hours of sleep each night.

When people get less sleep (even one hour less) than needed each night, they develop a “sleep debt.” If the sleep debt becomes too great, it can lead to problem sleepiness — the sleepiness that occurs when people should be awake and alert. This sleepiness interferes with a person’s daily routine and activities and reduces his or her ability to function.

For children, being overtired increases the risk of accidents and injuries. Lack of sleep can have a negative effect on a child’s performance in school, on the playground, in extracurricular activities, and in social relationships. A child who does not get enough sleep may fall asleep in school, have
difficulty concentrating on school work or other activities, and show behavioral and mood problems.

Most of the time, simply not getting enough sleep is what causes sleepiness. But sometimes an underlying sleep disorder is the problem. Talk to your child’s doctor if he or she:

• Snores
  
• Stops breathing while asleep
  
• Has problems falling asleep or staying asleep
  
• Has difficulty staying awake during the day
  
• Shows an unexplained decrease in performance in school or other activities

Source: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
(www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/sleep/starslp/parents/whysleep.htm)