Regular Bedtimes Critical for Children

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has found that children who have a consistent and early bedtime score higher on language, reading, and math skills. Of course, such a finding should come as no surprise. It is obvious that children crave structure and require adequate sleep in order to function properly. In addition, having a sense of order in the home is also healthy for the sanity of parents.

But the study informs us of just how important having structure and enough sleep is.  It has found that many four year old children are not getting the minimum of eleven hours of sleep per night that is required with frightening results, namely lower scores on phonological awareness, literacy and early math skills.

In addition to having a set bed time, Dr. Erica Gaylor, the lead author of the study, recommends creating and maintaining a bedtime routine such as reading a book or telling a story.

This study is consistent with a previous study that found that children who go to bed after 9 p.m. took longer to fall asleep and had a shorter total sleep time.

How strict are you about enforcing a regular early bedtime?