Wishing all a good night

When all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a laptop and mouse. Forgive me, Clement Moore, but you wrote your iconic Christmas tale before the invention of the light bulb, much less a mouse with a decidedly different provenance. Unlike your age of the truly dark night except for an occasional flicker of candlelight, our nights are filled with light and movement.

World at night, NASA, 2012

Other than its beauty and the smallness of the world, this NASA image conveys a lot.  The lit-up spots represent areas of urban development.  They are also areas of lower rates of melatonin production, higher rates of shift work, higher levels of cancer, and likely higher levels of sleep disorders.

I receive calls from parents asking for advice. Sometimes the question is how do I get a child to school who doesn't want to be there.  There are three questions I ask the parent in response:

• Is your child afraid of going to school?  Is she waking up with stomach aches or is he unable to sleep at night?  Does your child have friends at the school? Has she told you that her former friends are now treating her badly?  Is he in pain or does he have bruises on his body?  Depending on how a parent answers these questions, it may indicate that a child is being bullied.
• Is your child struggling with her schoolwork?  Does he have trouble reading? Is she unable to concentrate in class?  Is he having difficulty sitting still in class?  Does she tell you that her classmates tease her and call her stupid? Has her teacher expressed concern about her ability to do classwork? Affirmative answers to these questions may indicate that a child has difficulties learning.
• Finally, is your child unable to get up in the morning?  Does she have difficulties falling asleep at night? Is your son so overly active that you wonder if he has ADHD?  Does he snore loudly or does he seem to stop breathing in his sleep?  Does she walk around like a zombie early in the morning and is she unable to concentrate during the day?  Positive answers here may indicate that a child is sleep-deprived.

There are legions of people who are sleep-deprived these days and according to Dr. Elliott Lee, a psychiatrist and world-renowned expert on sleep, this is taking a huge toll on us, on our ability to function, and on the quality of our lives.  Dr. Lee spoke at a public symposium at the Royal Ottawa Hospital last week and his talk was eye-opening!

Even the loss of only one hour sleep per night over time:

• Impairs function and reaction times equivalent to driving with a blood alcohol content of 0.05;
• Impairs the body's ability repair itself and fight off disease;
• Affects creative abilities;
• Affects the ability to concentrate;
• Affects physical energy;
• Contributes to substance abuse;
• Affects reasoning and memory;
• Can even affect survival.

A study published by Till Roenneberg et al also seems to indicate that lack of sleep contributes to obesity. And if all this wasn't enough, the lack of sleep is deeply affecting our children causing them to become fidgety.  It didn't come as a surprise when Dr. Lee stated that the symptoms of sleep-deprivation and ADHD are often confused in children.  

What advice do I give parents about getting children to sleep?  Take that computer, in fact Dr. Lee says all electronics, out of your child's bedroom.  You are the parent; not your child's friend.  Not only can a computer or tablet distract your child from sleep, the complete privacy of a bedroom can cause your child to become more vulnerable to online child predators. While your child may curse you now, she will thank you when she's older.

The other thing you can do is establish a sleep routine for your child.  Start at 7:30 or 8 p.m. every night, children need more sleep than adults, with a hot bath and a story in bed to prepare them for sleep.  The hot bath will set up their bodies for sleep while the quiet story in bed helps slow down their minds.

from A Christmas Anthology

One of the greater gifts you can give your children is a good and healthy sleep routine.  It sets them up for learning the next day.  It gives them physical energy and stamina.   And I know firsthand how it affects creativity.  These posts write themselves after I have a good night's sleep.  You'll have plenty of time to become your child's friend after he becomes a responsible adult.  Right now, he needs a parent who helps him learn about limits and the benefits of good routines.

Have a wonderful holiday everyone.  Or in the words of Clement Moore, "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"


The views expressed in this post are personal opinions only.