Why Sleep?

We've always had early bedtimes for our kids, starting from infancy until now. Yes, there were times when my husband didn't get to see the baby because she or he was asleep for the night by 6 p.m., but that only lasted a few months at best.

Even today, our children go to bed early in comparison to most of their peers. While the bedtimes get stretched, especially on a summer's night when the cool waters of the pool beckons us after dinner, most of the time, we stick with the bedtimes.

Why this emphasis on sleep for our kids? For our good and for theirs, of course. Here's why earlier bedtimes are good for both parents and kids.

1. It's grown up time! Parents get time for each other when the kids are in bed at a decent hour. I've heard of kids--and I mean young elementary school age--who stay up as late as their parents. When do mom and dad have anytime without a child awake nearby? Zero. And that isn't conducive to a healthy marriage.

2. Less crankiness, more pleasantness. The right amount of sleep for children ages 5 and up is between 8 and 9 hours a night. When a child rarely gets that much sleep, it impacts his ability to exercise self control, among other positive attributes. Sleep studies have shown that sleep-deprived children behave as if they have ADD or ADHD, too. More sleep equals a better disposition.

3. Better school performance. Just like eating the right foods, sleep is important to growing bodies because it is one of the ways the brain uses to run at optimal functionality. Less sleep means less ability to concentrate and learn during school.

4. Slimmer waistlines. Recent studies have found a direct correlation between lack of sleep and weight gain in both adults and children. A study released this week in Pediatrics found that children who consistently got less than the recommended sleep for their ages were 2.5 times more likely to be obese at age 7 than their peers who got enough sleep.

We as parents need to think of sleep as essential to our children's well-being as their diet and exercise. Yes, you can't make them go to sleep, but we can provide the framework of a good bedtime and a good example ourselves.

Until next time,
Sarah