Preventing children's sleep debt ACCUMULATION

Late-night digital screen viewing, academic pressure, and irregular routines are robbing children of the rest they need, adversely affecting their health, well-being and learning outcomes

- DR. TARUN SINGH

As parents, we ensure our children eat well, are physically active, and succeed in school. But what about sleep? In today's fast-paced digital world, children's sleep deprivation has become a silent epidemic. Late-night digital screen viewing, academic pressure, and irregular routines are robbing children of the rest they need, adversely affecting their health, well-being and learning outcomes.

If your child is irritable, forgetful, struggling with academics, and frequently taking ill, sleep debt could be the cause. In this essay, I explain sleep debt, its causes and how to prevent it.

WHAT IS SLEEP DEBT?

Sleep debt is the cumulative effect of missed sleep over time. If a child needs ten hours of sleep but only gets eight, she builds up two hours of sleep debt every night. Over a week, this adds up to 14 hours.

Unlike adults, children cannot adapt to chronic sleep loss. Instead, they become more hyperactive, emotional, and unfocused - sometimes mimicking symptoms of ADHD (Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder).

RECOMMENDED SLEEP

Toddlers (1-3 years): 11-14 hours

Pre-schoolers (3-5 years): 10-13 hours

School-age children (6-12 years): 9-12 hours

Teens (13-18 years): 8-10 hours

If your child is getting less than the recommended sleep consistently, she is accumulating sleep debt.

WHY KIDS ARE LOSING SLEEP

Several modern lifestyle factors are depriving children of sleep. Among them: