You know sleep is important. We hear it all the time. Sleep is essential for active kids. Unfortunately, everyone seems to be falling short on sleep, including kids. Sports practices, games, and other activities are ending later in the evenings and starting earlier in the mornings, as early as 0430. This means that kids are losing out on an important part of their health.
Pair their activities with endless opportunities for distractions, sleep may be the last thing on their minds.
How Much Sleep For Active Kids?
The National Sleep Foundation recommends 9-12 hours of sleep for school-aged kids. The National Institutes of Health recommends 8-10 hours of sleep for teens.
Add all the distractions, plus late practice times and games, and early wake-ups for school – most kids are not reaching the minimum recommendations. As kids get older, it can be challenging for parents to monitor bedtimes and ensure kids are getting enough sleep.
Why Is Sleep Important for Active Kids?
Sleep affects practically every part of the body.
- Growth: As parents, we know that sleep is super important for growth and development of those little bodies, but sleep is so much more than that. Growth hormone, which is necessary for growth and development, is produced while kids sleep.
- Down-Time: Just as you stress the need for down-time for your child (taking a break every once in a while), the body needs that too and we get it in the form of sleep. If the body doesn’t get that downtime, you run the risk of your child not being able to function in school AND in sports. What’s the use of paying all of that money for a sport if they are too tired and can’t pay attention? In addition, kids who are chronically deficient in sleep have a higher risk of depression, anxiety, being short-tempered, and irritable.
- Weight: The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development indicate that ALL age groups who do not get enough sleep are at a higher risk of becoming overweight. We can’t seem to kick the obesity epidemic plaguing our country. We know it’s a mix of lifestyle factors and sleep is one component.
- Heart Health: The heart needs time to rest. Sleep is the time for blood pressure to decrease and take a rest from the sports practices. Athletic kids have strong hearts, let’s keep them that way.
- Repair and Recovery: Sleep has become such an important topic, that the International Olympic Committee has taken notice. Sleep is vital for your child’s tissues and muscles to repair itself and when that time is cut short, that’s when overuse injuries start to creep up.
- Nutrition: For most kids who are not getting enough sleep, the urge to sleep until the very last minute becomes the norm. This can lead to skipping breakfast or a quick grab out the door. That could spell disaster for training. For kids who practice in the morning, a light meal is appropriate with more breakfast after practice. For those waking up after evening practice or games, the body absolutely needs fuel for the day to get it ready for more after school.
- Immune Health: Research has shown that changes in sleep and lessened time asleep increases inflammatory markers in adolescents, which could affect immunity.
Sleep Hygiene for Active Kids
Sleep hygiene is all about the various habits you and your kids can enforce to help them sleep better. Here are some easy steps to implement today to help your active kid sleep better.
- Have a regular bedtime.
- Avoid caffeine late in the day and allow some time between dinner and lights out.
- Make the bed for sleeping – not playing video games or scrolling through their phone.
- Make the room dark and quiet – this might have to be a family effort.
- Cool it down by setting the thermostat a little lower if your house runs hot.
