There is a solid reason and basis for the saying, “Children who sleep grow up.” If sleep time is short and sleep deprivation continues, growth hormone secretion will be affected, and serotonin will decrease, increasing aggression and becoming a so-called “child who is easily offended”, affecting physical and mental growth. Understand the importance of sleep and try to secure the ideal sleep time for your age.
Infants, elementary school students, junior high school students: Estimated amount of sleep required for children
Newborns sleep and wake up repeatedly throughout the day. Babies at this age spend about two-thirds of their day sleeping. In contrast to ” single-phase sleep
,” in which people sleep together at night like adults, sleep in which they repeatedly fall asleep and wake up is called ” polyphasic sleep .” Many animals have polyphasic sleep, and monophasic sleep is only possible for large carnivores that are safe from predators. Immediately after birth, the body clock is immature, so the day progresses regardless of the external day-night rhythm. As a result, they fall asleep and wake up day and night, and mothers who accompany them suffer from lack of sleep. However, the body clock gradually develops due to the day-night rhythm and contact with other people, and from around 4 months of age, the external rhythm and the sleep/wake pattern begin to match . With growth , the total sleep time of the 1th is also getting shorter. Newborns sleep 16 hours a day , but 1 year old sleeps 13 hours, 2-3 years old 12 hours, and 3-5 years old 11 hours . When you go to school, your sleep time will be reduced due to timetables, attending cram schools, and relationships with friends. It is said that the ideal amount of sleep for a child’s healthy growth is 10 hours for children in the lower grades of elementary school, 9 hours for middle school to junior high school students, and 8 hours for high school students . You may think, “How long?”, but sleep is essential for mental and physical development, so it’s important to get enough sleep.
“Sleeping children grow” is true! Growth hormone secretion during deep sleep
Your brain and body grow while you sleepThe content of sleep is also different from that of adults. Adult sleep is divided into REM sleep, where the body rests, and non-REM sleep, where the brain rests , according to the state of the brain waves . However, since the brain waves are not yet clear in babies, instead of REM sleep and non-REM sleep, they are divided into “active sleep” and “quiet sleep”.
During active sleep, muscles in the face and limbs twitch, and breathing becomes irregular. Literally, it is a sleep state in which movement can be seen. In the case of boys, the penis may become hard.
Dynamic sleep is a state in which the body is resting and asleep, but at this time the brain works actively and the neural network develops. Active sleep, which occupies half of all sleep from newborns to infants, changes to REM sleep, which is the same as that of adults, at around 2 years of age, and the duration of sleep decreases.
On the other hand, during quiet sleep, the body and eyes do not move, and breathing and pulse are slow and regular. It can be said that the brain is resting and sleeping soundly. Quiet sleep turns into non-REM sleep as we grow older.
In early childhood, deep sleep increases even in non-REM sleep, and the amount of deep sleep is the largest in a lifetime. A large amount of growth hormone is secreted during deep sleep within 3 hours after falling asleep . Babies get showered with this hormone and grow rapidly.
During puberty, gonadotropins are also secreted during sleep . This hormone promotes sexual maturity. From the outside it looks like you’re just sleeping, but there’s a lot going on inside your body.
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Lack of sleep also affects “easiness to go berserk” … growth disorder due to lack of sleep
With a lack of sleep, adults are also more likely to go mad, but…Over the last 50 years, Japanese adults have slept an hour less. During this time, children are becoming night owls, and sleep time is being cut.
According to a survey by the Japan Child Health Association , 22% of 3-year-olds went to bed after 10:00 p.m. in 1980 , 36% in 1990, and 52% in 2000 . I have exceeded.
According to an Australian survey conducted in 1990, only 4% of children aged 25 to 38 went to bed after 10:00 p.m.
Especially young children who are night owls are a big problem. It is known that children who are sleep deprived at night and who have to be woken up during naps in kindergartens, etc., are slower to point and speak fewer words. Also, 12-month-olds who go to bed late cannot understand language and say good-bye, and 20-month-olds who wake up late cannot stack two building blocks . These findings indicate that night owl infants have delayed psychomotor development.
Lack of sleep is also the cause of the increase in the so-called “children who get angry easily” . A substance called serotonin is important for maintaining a calm mind. It is known that serotonin-related substances in the cerebrospinal fluid are low in people who exhibit conspicuous aggression and impulsive behavior.
Serotonin increases when you exercise with a rhythm, but if you stay up late, you don’t exercise much during the day due to jet lag, and serotonin in your brain decreases. Therefore, sleep-deprived children become more aggressive, more irritable, and more likely to lose their temper.
Parents’ nocturnal lifestyle influences? Children’s sleep is “insufficient discipline”
Late-night shopping interferes with children’s growthWhy do children stay up late at night? When asked why they stay up late at night , most of the answers were “for some reason ” or “because my family is up .”
Children do not naturally fall asleep at night. Without fear of misunderstanding, it can be said that the biggest cause of children becoming night owls is “lack of discipline . “
Children grow up watching their parents. Children whose parents stay up late tend to go to bed later. If you want your child to grow up healthy, it’s best to sleep with him when he should sleep. Adults may wake up when children fall asleep, and adults may also turn into morning people if they sleep until morning. At the very least, discuss the importance of sleep at home, set a time for your child to go to bed, and watch over your family to make sure that it is followed.
For children who have a hard time falling asleep , try a “falling asleep ritual .” For example, “toothpaste→clean up toys→change into pajamas→toilet→say goodbye to stuffed animal→say goodbye to family→read a book→turn off the lights and co-sleep.” It’s something that gradually prepares your mind. Some people call it a “holiday tour” because it moves around the house.
In addition, the Association for Encouraging Children to Get Up Early advocates ” three basics to prevent staying up late .”
・ Adjust your biorhythm by basking in the morning light ・ Adjust your
life rhythm by getting up early and increasing your activity levels during the day
・ It is the responsibility of adults to protect children’s sleep environment
. When you wake up in the morning, you are already preparing for sleep. Discuss with your family what you can do during the day and do it little by little so that your child can get a good night’s sleep.