You already know that lack of sleep can affect your child’s performance in school. You know that she’s less emotionally stable when she had a short night’s rest (really, aren’t we all cranky when we’re sleep-deprived?). But did you know that your child is more likely to be overweight or obese by age seven if his average sleep per night is less than nine hours?

Other interesting findings from a new study:

[The children] slept fewer hours on weekend days than on weekdays, in the summer and when bedtime was set as after 9 p.m. They also slept fewer hours if they had no younger siblings. (Really? I would have sworn that my son keeps my daughter awake sometimes…)

In addition to increased weight and body fat, shorter sleep periods correlated with more emotional volatility, reported the research team.

“Sleep is important for health and well-being throughout life,” said lead author Ed Mitchell in a prepared statement.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine agrees. It recommends 11-13 hours of sleep per night for preschool kids, and 10-11 hours once they hit kindergarten. Even my crappy sleeper squeezes in the bare minimum according to these guidelines, and I can definitely tell when she’s short on sleep! Every child’s sleep needs are different from the next, but as a general rule, I think the AASM has it just about right. We already watch our children’s nutrition; sleep is another key element in overall good health.

Thoughts?

Posted by Sunshine.