Keeping the Sandman Happy

Keeping the Sandman Happy- Summer Sleep Schedules and Children

Dr. Jill Chasse

So the last day of school has come and gone and the kids are celebrating with late bedtimes, sleepover parties, movies, video games, camp outs and midnight chips and giggles. Summer is a time of relaxation, less routine and often the lack of strict bedtimes. Being a little less stringent is good for both their physical and mental health, but the lack of consistency, sleep deprivation and abandoned routine can lead to significant issues, even when they are out of school.

Studies have shown that there is a negative impact on a child’s mood, behavior, and physical health when they lack a consistent bedtime routine. The routine should of course fit your lifestyle and child’s age, and can be altered for summers and weekends, but should be appropriate and regular. A routine can be anything from an entirely planned out snack, bath, teeth brushing, story, music, massage, cup of water, lullaby and meditation, to just a specific regular bedtime with adequate number of sleep hours, in a safe, clean and comfortable bed.

Sleep needs vary based on age, and the hours of necessary sleep are increased when your child is ill or has had a bad quality of sleep (such as with nightmares or night wakings). The guide below is based on recommendations from the National Sleep Foundation and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

• Newborns (0 to 3 months) 14–17 hours
• Infants (4 to 12 months) 12–16 hours
• Toddlers (1 to 2 years) 11–14 hours
• Preschoolers (3 to 5 years) 10–13 hours
• School Age (6-12 years) 9-12 hours (generally broken down as 11-12 hours for ages 6-8 and 9-10 hours for ages 9-12)
• Teen (13 to 18 years) 8–10 hours

It is important that not only the amount of sleep be taken into consideration but that these hours be adhered to at a consistent bedtime on a regular basis to promote optimal health. Generally shifts of more than a half hour should be avoided, unless of course there is a one time event or special occasion. Staying up late for big brother’s concert on Friday night or Grandpa Sal’s birthday party across town is fine every now and then. The problem is when half the week your kid turns in at 8pm, then every weekend stays up until 11. That disrupts their internal biological clock “body clock”, called circadian rhythms, seriously affecting the sleep-wake pattern. This can lead to circadian rhythm disorders.

Statistically, most children do not get enough sleep, and this gets worse in the summertime. Even if your child’s sleep is impacted just for a few months, it can have significant consequences on their social and mental functioning. Problems such as headaches, irritability and overeating have been documented when optimal hours of sleep are not met. Emotional problems like depression, irritability and anger are also side effects of sleep deficiency.

Not only does less sleep affect the physical and mental health of the child, greater variations in bedtimes have been shown to lead to metabolic problems or disorders in children. Kids whos bedtimes are all over the place have a greater risk for high cholesterol, hypertension, high blood sugar or other metabolic abnormalities.

Staying up late may be a fun thing now and then, but don’t let sleep deprivation destroy your children’s emotional well-being and their healthy brain and body functioning. Keep the sandman happy and your children will thrive!

Jill Diana Chasse, DrPH, PhD, MS, MPA
Doctor of Public Health & Epidemiologist
In Memory of Devon Richard

References:
American Academy of Sleep Medicine. https://aasm.org/resources/pdf/pediatricsleepdurationconsensus.pdf
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016). Prevalence of healthy sleep duration among adults United States, 2014.
Leproult, R., & Van Cauter, E. (2010). Role of sleep and sleep loss in hormonal release and
Huang, T., Redline, S. Cross-sectional and prospective associations of actigraphy-assessed sleep regularity with metabolic abnormalities: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. Diabetes Care. June 2019. DOI: 10.2337/dc19-0596

Mindell JA; Telofski LS; Wiegand B; Kurtz ES. A nightly bedtime routine: impact on sleep in young children and maternal mood. SLEEP 2009;32(5):599–606.

Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 65, 137-141. “Your Guide to Healthy Sleep” : http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/sleep/healthy_sleep.htm.

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. (2011). In brief: Your guide to healthy sleep.Retrieved January 16, 2018, from https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/files/docs/public/sleep/healthysleepfs.pdf (PDF 436 KB)

Takahashi, Y., Kipnis, D. M., & Daughaday, W. H. (1968). Growth hormone secretion during sleep. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 47(9), 2079- 2090.