Why is it right for a child to go to bed as early as possible?

Children's sleep has always been, is and will be a problem for parents. As soon as you start to back down and they start wanting to "watch another movie", drink water, write, just one more story… Now we will tell you why be firm and put your children to bed as early as possible is for their good.

If you are one of those mothers who constantly ask them: "Why do you put your children to bed so early ?", We are completely on your side! We have good news for you: new research proves we're right.

This study says that preschoolers who go to bed very early are less likely to gain weight in adolescence than their peers who wake up late. In fact, the study's authors say: " Children who go to bed early in their preschool years are twice as likely to gain weight as their peers who put them to bed too late." . Accordingly, it is very important to do a bedtime ritual - this can become an important moment in adolescence.

In an interview with CNN, study author Sarah Anderson said: "In addition, the study shows an indisputable link between healthy early sleep and children's development , behavior and ability to concentrate. The sleep ritual also helps to avoid nightmares and difficulties in children's sleep .

Of course, what is important here is not the specific time to sleep, but the amount of complete sleep. Because children who fall asleep are able to cope with their emotions better, are healthier psychologically, have a normal hormonal background and metabolism.

You probably think of the type of children who behave in the morning and feel terrible if they went to bed late the night before. They are capricious, slow, you can't fix them and take them to school normally. That is, it is obvious that children need sleep . But it turns out that they need a lot more sleep than we think.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recently published its recommendations for the number of hours of healthy sleep children need. Here are the numbers:

For babies from 4 to 12 months - 12-16 hours of night sleep.

For children from 1 to 2 years - 11-14 hours of night sleep.

For children from 3 to 5 years - 10-13 hours of sleep at night.

For children from 6 to 12 years - 9-12 hours a night.

From 13 to 18 years of age, children should have at least 9-10 hours of sleep at night.

You see, based on these figures, you should ask yourself, "When is it normal to put my children to sleep?", But "At what time should I put them to sleep to get the amount of sleep they need?"

For example, if your children are preschoolers , it's a good idea to send them to bed at 7:30 pm on weekdays. If they are 10, for example, they can go to bed at 20: 00-20: 30. So at 7 o'clock, when your children have to get up and prepare for kindergarten / school, they will have received the necessary dose of sleep. Yes, all your neighbors may think you're a little crazy to put your kids to bed so early , but it's you, not them!

Dr. Samit Bhargava, a professor of pediatrics at Stanford University School of Medicine, also suggested setting a clear bedtime for children so that they would be adequate in the morning.

"It is not necessary to put them to bed very early - it may not be of any use. Just calculate how long it takes your child to fall asleep and put it in at the right time, ”Bhargava said in an interview with CNN.

In other words, this is our task as parents - to find out how many hours of sleep our children need to feel good. Of course, all children are different, but many children do not behave very well precisely because they lack sleep.

" Sleep is as important to the human body as air and food. Says Dr. Bhargava. "We spend almost a third of our lives asleep."

So the next time someone looks askance at you for taking your kids away from the party at 6pm, just ignore them - at least science is on your side!