Childrens health and Sleep

Sleep is one of the most important requirements in early childhood development.

Sleep stimulates growth, proper brain development, memory, alertness and strengthens the immune system.

Children who get enough sleep are more likely to function better and are less prone to sleep walking, nightmares, behavioral problems and moodiness.

Many studies around the world have now contribute poor school performance, hyperactivity and behavioral problems , to poor sleep patterns, snoring and sleep apnea.Studies have shown that 37% of children, kindergarten through fourth grade, suffer from at least one sleep-related problem. If your child experiences any of these sleep problems or is very sleepy during the day, It is most likely that the child needs treatment

Learning about children's sleep can help you make sure children get the sleep they need to grow and stay healthy It is important to understand your child's changing sleep needs and habits as they grow. 69% percent of children 10 and under experience at least one sleep problem a few times a week or more according to national sleep foundation.

Sleep Requirement In Children

Figures are according to national sleep foundation.

This chart presents recommended hours of sleep that includes naps for children up to five years of age:

Age	Hours of Sleep needed
0 - 2 months	10.5 - 18
2 - 12 months	14 - 15
1 - 3 years	12 - 14
3 - 5 years	11 - 12
5 - 12 years	10 - 11

How to sleep better, sleeping tips for children

• Have a light snack
• Take a bath
• Put on pyjamas
• Brush teeth
• Read a story
• Make sure the room is quiet and at a comfortable temperature
• Put your child to bed
• Say goodnight and leave
• Have your child form positive associations with sleeping alone on their own. The child can then fall asleep on their own once awaken during the night
• Make bedtime the same time every night
• Make bedtime a positive and relaxing experience without TV or videos. According to one recent study, TV viewing prior to bed can lead to difficulty falling and staying asleep. Save your child's favourite relaxing, non-stimulating activities until last and have them occur in the child's bedroom
• Keep the bedtime environment (e.g. light, temperature) the same all night long
• Babies should be put to sleep on their backs. According to the "Back to Sleep" program, this lowers the risk of dying from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). The American Academy of Pediatrics also recommends that parents should avoid placing young children to sleep on a water bed, sofa, pillow, soft mattress or other soft surfaces

Nap and nighttime sleep are both necessary and independent of each other, according to national sleep foundation. Children who nap well are usually less cranky and sleep better at night. Although children differ, after six months of age, naps of 1/2 to two hours duration are expected and are generally discontinued between ages 2-5 years. Daytime sleepiness or the need for a nap after this age should be investigated further.

Snoring in children

Snoring is the most common sleep disorder, classified as Upper Airway Obstructive disorder(UAOD) , afflicting almost half the population of Australian men (44%) and one in three Australian women (30%).

That's seven million Australians!

During sleep, the muscles of the soft palate, uvula at the back of the throat and larynx, lose their muscle tone, relax, and begin vibrating against the back of the throat or the base of the tongue. This can happen when nose-breathing or mouth-breathing. Snoring can also occur when you have a stuffy nose from a cold or sinusitis, or when falling asleep in an upright position (for example, in a chair) because the jaw relaxes and drops open.

Enlarged Tonsils and Adenoids can also contribute to the obstruction of the airways. Snoring reduces oxygen supply to the brain and body tissues, triggering an arousal within the brain. It is the oxygen deprivation and repetitious arousals that are the risk factors for poor health.

Snoring in Australian Children Linked to Learning and Behavioural Problems

Melbourne, Australia: Researchers in Adelaide have confirmed both school performance and behaviour can be profoundly affected in up to 22 per cent of Australian school children because of sleep-disordered breathing. With profound implications for the teaching environment, the study suggests sleep-disordered breathing - which can be treated - is limiting children’s academic and developmental progress. The study, entitled Snoring and Neurocognitive Performance, has uncovered a pattern of learning deficits in children who snore, including:

• Significantly impaired attention
• Lower memory scores
• Lower intelligence scores

One of the key findings of the study - the effect on intelligence scores as opposed to intelligence – suggests children may be perceived as less intelligent and developmentally delayed when in fact this need not be the case.

The behaviour of children with sleep-disordered breathing such as snoring or Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) can be profoundly affected by sleep deprivation, leading to irritability, poor concentration, fatigue and sometimes hyperactivity – factors, when taken together, frequently used to diagnose ADD and ADHD, says Dr Reza Samvat, Clinical Director of Inspiring Choices and an authority on the natural treatment of snoring and learning difficulties in children.

Dr Samvat was among the first in the natural health field to note the association between learning difficulties and sleeping problems among children, a link now recognised by Stanford University Medical Center and being further explored by researchers at Sydney Children's Hospital.

The Adelaide study, says Dr Samvat, adds to a growing clinical literature on the interaction between sleep-disordered breathing and intelligence.

The latest findings reported in the August edition of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine3 also confirm the study, showing that:

• There is a higher incidence of snoring in children than previously thought, uncovering a strong link with poor school performance.
• A German study of 1129 primary students - peer-reviewed by the American Thoracic Society and released on 25 August 2003 – demonstrated habitual snoring among third-grade children affected mathematics, science, and spelling.
• According to the investigators, says the Society, the research is the first to show a clear biological relationship between snoring frequency and the risk of poor academic performance.
• Among the sample of children, 605 (53.6 per cent) snored occasionally, 89 (7.9 per cent) snored frequently, and 25 (2.2 per cent) always snored. This last group displayed poor academic performance in mathematics, science, and spelling. Frequent snoring, however, was significantly associated with weaker mathematics and spelling only.

“The unique problem with snoring,” says Dr Samvat, “is that it attacks health on two fronts by causing both sleep deprivation and, in extreme cases, oxygen deprivation as well.”

Dr Samvat, who spent nearly a decade leading the development of Inspiring Choices’ integrated sleep program, says sleep acts like a master program for health, so any underlying disorder that disrupts sleep will affect a person’s whole health – mental, emotional, social and physical. “Parents should be educated to be aware of symptoms,” says Dr Samvat.