Parents become accustomed to hearing their children say, "I can't fall asleep" from a young age. However, what many parents may not realize is that their children are not trying to delay bedtime, but may be suffering from a legitimate inability to fall asleep.
Our modern way of life can be overstimulating for adults and children alike. Electronics with backlit displays such as cellular phones, laptops, gaming devices, and even televisions can create a sense of confusion within the body, leaving the mind overactive and unable to rest when bedtime arises. In children, this can be particularly troublesome. Their growing minds and bodies require significantly more sleep each night than adults need to function optimally. Unfortunately, many children simply are not getting the sleep they need.
Schools across the country have responded to this growing problem by instituting later school start times. Districts that have experimented with later starts report fewer illnesses, absences, and missed classes from their students. Additionally, parents and teachers claim the students are more alert and focused and less irritable when they get a later start on school in the morning.
Kids, particularly teenagers, also report happiness with later school start times. They are likely to discover they feel less depressed and anxious, and the additional sleep they are able to get in the morning leaves them feeling better rested and better able to cope with whatever comes their way.
One interesting side effect of the delayed school starting times is that children have more time to eat a full breakfast in the morning. When kids are pressured and rushed into awakening early in order to make it to school on time on too little sleep, a nutritious breakfast is frequently one of the first things sacrificed. Even a delay of 30 minutes to an hour in the morning allows children more time to wake up naturally, get themselves prepared for the day, and sit down to a healthy breakfast. Getting into the habit of eating a nutritious, energizing breakfast at an early age will serve them well throughout their lives. People who eat breakfast each day tend to have an easier time maintaining a healthy body weight and report greater feelings of health and energy than those who develop the habit of skipping breakfast.
While it is unlikely our way of life will change dramatically as time goes by, we can help give our kids a better start on their adult lives by allowing later school times. The extra sleep our children are able to have now will pay dividends in their health and well-being in the years to come.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6983054
