If one were to be asked about some of the most important things in life, sleep would rate amongst the top 3! We can be pretty sure about that 🙂 We are sure you would have nights when you tossed and turned and the next day you would have felt irritable and tired the next day. Isn’t it?
Well, it is not any different for children! They too feel irritable, sluggish and unable to focus. In fact, lack of sleep is a common issue among kids. Lack of sleep also hugely impacts their physical and mental health.
Parents, do you know how long should preschoolers sleep every night? The answer to that question is 8 to 10 hours. If they do not get a good night’s sleep, it can lead to a range of negative effects such as hyperactivity, a weak immune system and they also find it difficult to focus or comprehend.
What should ideally be a good day turns out to be a highly irritable day at school. If your little preschooler is sleep deprived, he or she would not socialize in school and might find it difficult to concentrate in class.
Believe us when we state that sleep deprivation can have a long-lasting negative effect on preschoolers.
So, parents, please keep a track of your preschoolers’ sleep patterns and ensure that they get the sleep and rest they need every day! We did briefly mention the negative effects of sleep deprivation earlier. Let us understand how it affects your child in
Let’s first understand in detail how lack of sleep can affect your child.
Decrease in attention Span: As parents, you would know that lack of sleep can make it hard for a child to pay attention and concentrate. This is the reason behind the shorter attention spans. This can make it difficult for them to participate in activities and retain information taught in class. Indirectly, sleep affects success. It doesn’t stop here. Insufficient sleep can also make children angry, temperamental, and uncooperative in the classroom.
Impaired Memory: Getting too little sleep can have negative effects on preschoolers’ memory because it disrupts the consolidation phase, during which new memories are strengthened and stabilized. They say that sleep is a child’s best ally in development as our brain assimilates new information and consolidates what it has acquired throughout the day while a person is sleeping. It goes without saying that a child’s sleep deprivation disrupts the memory consolidation process. This, in turn, leads to difficulties with recalling and retaining information.
Decreased Energy and Motivation: Sleep-deprived children are often more lethargic and less motivated. This can impact their overall performance and success at school and their participation in activities.
Increased Stress: Firstly, children who do not get enough sleep are often more irritable and have shorter attention spans. Managing everyday activities becomes difficult. Apart from this, children who do not sleep well generally struggle with social interactions. At their age, they can get too emotional about this. Without knowing how to vent out, they end up having conflicts with their near ones. Is this ideal? Definitely not! All of these things can make preschoolers feel more stressed. Parents, we do not want to be taking their mental wellness for granted. It can have a lasting effect on their lives!
Hyperactive behaviour: Children not getting enough sleep, and have trouble regulating their energy levels and emotions, leading to increased impulsiveness, restlessness, and fidgeting. These are all symptoms that you would have seen at home. Children become very inattentive and are distracted easily. This can cause them to act out in class, disrupt the learning environment, and struggle to complete tasks. A child’s mood is severely affected because of lack of sleep. This can lead to the little one becoming irritable, and angry and being more likely to have meltdowns.
Absenteeism: Most kids who don’t get enough sleep are absent from school regularly. If you have a child at home, you would already know that children who do not receive the recommended amount of sleep, often experience mental and physical exhaustion. This obviously makes it difficult for them to maintain motivation to attend school. Our little ones suffer from chronic illnesses, such as headaches and ear infections. These are sufficient reasons to keep them absent from school for extended periods of time. A Child’s mood, behaviour, and concentration can all be negatively impacted by a lack of sleep. Obviously, it will take a toll when the child is in the classroom. Parents, you do not want your preschoolers to miss school as it becomes difficult to catch up.
Decreased Cognitive Skills: When a child doesn’t get enough sleep, their brain is unable to process information effectively and store memories efficiently. Not an ideal situation for preschoolers to be in, eh? Obviously, yes! If a child is unable to pay attention and focus in the classroom, it will have unpleasant consequences in their academic journey! Preschoolers may find it more difficult to join in group activities and communicate with their classmates when they are sleep deprived because of the resulting mood fluctuations, impatience, and lack of inventiveness.
Having addressed the ways in which sleep deprivation affects a child, let us look at ways in which you can ensure your child gets enough sleep:
- Stick to a consistent bedtime routine: Establish & maintain a consistent routine, such as reading a book, brushing your teeth, and saying goodnight.
- Limit screens before bedtime: Encourage your child to turn off electronic devices an hour before bedtime, as the blue light emitted by these screens can interfere with sleep.
- Create a sleep-conducive environment: Ensure the room is dark, cool, and quiet, and invest in a comfortable mattress and pillows.
- Encourage physical activity: This has 2 benefits. Physical activity will help them stay fit and also make it easier to fall asleep at night as they would be tired by bedtime.
- Avoid caffeine and sugary foods before bedtime: Don’t give your kids anything with caffeine or sugar in it before night because it could keep them up.
- Avoid stimulating activities before bedtime: Don’t let your kid watch TV or play video games right before bed.
In conclusion, lack of sleep can have serious and long-lasting effects on preschoolers. Lack of sleep affects success in multiple ways.
We hope that this blog has helped you understand that children who do not get their quota of sleep (ideally 8 to 10 hours) face a lot of difficulties. In the long run, poor children are more likely to struggle with concentration, be sluggish, and suffer from emotional and behavioural issues. That’s the reason established preschools like EuroKids encourage parents to make sure their kids get enough sleep each night. Visit a EuroKids centre near your home to understand more about this school’s philosophy and how they prepare its students for success.
It’s never too late to start regulating your child’s sleep. And common, we all want to see our little ones happy, healthy and successful, isn’t it?
