Benefits of Healthy Sleep for Kids
When children get the recommended hours of healthy sleep on a regular basis, they experience better outcomes, including improved quality of life, behavior, attention, learning, memory, emotional regulation, and mental & physical health. Good sleep also helps students:
- Excel in school by maximizing attention, memory and learning abilities
- Perform better in activities and sports
- Feel and look their best by having a more optimistic attitude toward life and maintaining a healthy weight
- Have fun and enjoy life by making good decisions and staying safe
The benefits of healthy sleep require not only adequate sleep duration, but also appropriate timing, daily regularity, sleep quality, and the absence of sleep disorders.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that about four in five high schoolers fail to get enough sleep during the school week.
To help a teenager consistently get a good night’s sleep, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine offers the following tips:
- get more physical activity,
- avoid caffeine after school,
- limit naps to 30 minutes or less and don’t nap after 4pm
- eat meals at the same time daily and don’t eat close to bedtime,
- keep lights dim at night,
- don’t use electronic devices at least 30 minutes before bedtime,
- make time to relax and unwind before bedtime,
- get bright light in the morning,
- set a bedtime that allows for eight hours of sleep
- keep your sleep schedule as best you can through the weekend.
American Academy of Sleep Medicine, September 2021
