What You (Not School) Should Teach Your Children: Good Sleep

What You (Not School) Should Teach Your Children: Good Sleep

Sleep is still the most undervalued aspect of our health.

Everyone, whether they are an adult, a teenager, or a child, should prioritize sleep and know about the risks of sleep deprivation. Below, we’ll briefly go into why sleep is crucial and cover some science-based tips to help you and your children get good sleep.

Why is Sleep Important?

As a child, my parents would say that 1 hour of sleep before midnight counts as 2 hours after midnight and that I would not grow tall if I stay up too late. Only now do I understand why sleep really is important. These are a few key processes our brain carries out when we sleep:

Growth hormone production

It turns out 75% of human growth hormone production happens while we sleep. The biggest spike in production occurs between 10 p.m. and midnight. This growth hormone plays a key role not only in our physical growth, which is crucial for kids and teenagers, but also in cell growth and repair.

This hormone is one of the secrets behind longevity so if we want to extend kids’ lifespan (and ours as well) we need to make sure all family members will understand how staying up late is harmful to us in a long run.

Clearing waste in the brain

In the brain, the glymphatic system washes out the brain with cerebrospinal fluid, cleansing it of soluble proteins that accumulate as waste throughout the day. This process is essential for neuronal regeneration and can only happen while we sleep.

Memory and information consolidation

The brain also consolidates information and the events of the day during sleep. This is why students who get enough sleep after studying are better able to retain information. In fact, the ability to learning something new decreases by up to 40% without sleep.

More commonly known benefits include:

• Increased energy levels
• Enhanced creativity
• Improved focus

Habits For Better Sleep For Your Children (and Yourself)

Here are 3 ways to make sure your children get the good quality sleep they need.

1. Spend more time outside

Our circadian rhythms operate through light and darkness. Get outside in the morning to feel fully awake and also help with sleep at bedtime. Natural light is key for us. We need exposure to a range of lighting conditions, which is measured in lux (a unit of light). When we sleep in a fully dark bedroom, there is 0 lux and when we are walking outside, we can get 10,000-30,000 lux depending on the weather. Spending all day indoors, even in brightly lit rooms, exposes us to only 500 lux on average. This is not enough of a contrast for our circadian rhythms to function properly.

2. Avoid late-night snacking

Studies show we should leave a three-hour window between our last meal and our bedtime. This helps with the brain’s regeneration processes and prevents inflammation. helps in the brain’s resting and regeneration and prevents it from inflammation. It is thanks to the cellular waste management system and the process called autophagy; in laypersons’ terms, it is the process of cleaning up all metabolic leftovers. In order for this system to work properly, our body can’t be busy digesting the food. When the body works intensively to digest a hearty dinner there’s no time for resting. Yet when the body is in a fasting mode (the last meal of the day has already been digested), not only the brain rest better but it is also cleaned up with the plaque that, when accumulated, can cause serious neurological disorders in adult life (such as Parkinson’s disease or Alzheimer’s disease). Making early dinners a part of your daily schedule is definitely a great long-term investment in a healthy brain and longevity.

3. Put away electronic devices before bed

At least 1 hour before bed, switch off all phones, laptops, TVs, and tablets. The blue light emitted by electronic devices reduces melatonin production and this is the hormone that informs the body it’s time to sleep. Take this time to talk as a family, read books, write a diary entry, draw, or any other tech-free activity.