Poor sleeping habits and routines in children have been linked to a range of negative consequences, including attention deficit disorder, irritability, and behavioral issues. When children don't get enough sleep, their cognitive functioning is affected, leading to difficulty with attention, concentration, and memory. This can result in symptoms similar to attention deficit disorder, where children struggle to stay focused or complete tasks.
Sleep deprivation can also lead to irritability and mood swings, which can cause behavioral issues such as aggression, defiance, and hyperactivity. Children who are tired and restless may find it difficult to regulate their emotions and behavior, leading to problematic behaviors at home, in school, or in social situations.
To improve children's overall wellbeing through good sleep health and practices, parents can take several steps:
- First and foremost, they should establish a regular sleep schedule and ensure that their children are getting enough sleep each night. Based on their age and individual needs, young children typically require between 11-14 hours of sleep per night, while teenagers may need 8-10 hours.
- Parents can also create a relaxing bedtime routine that helps their children wind down and prepare for sleep. This might include reading a book, taking a warm bath, or listening to calming music. It's important to limit screen time before bed, as the blue light emitted by electronic devices can interfere with sleep.
- Parents can also create a comfortable sleep environment for their children by ensuring that their bedroom is quiet, cool, and dark. Investing in a good quality mattress, pillows, and bedding can also help promote better sleep.
For children who experience snoring, bedwetting, a shift in behavioral issues, difficulty breathing at night or restless sleep, we strongly recommend parents to call our office for a kids sleep consultation at our Charlotte Sleep Solutions office with Dr. Nnadi. She is a distinguished Diplomate of the ABDSM (the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine). In sleep medicine today, research is showing that many children with these conditions have an airway issue that is leading to the body not getting enough oxygen at night, preventing restorative sleep.
At our office we start with identifying the root cause of the child's symptoms through digital imaging (CBCT scan), on chair examination. We create a detailed report of their sleep and airway profile to determine what is happening and how we can treat it.
Charlotte Sleep Solutions remains one of the top sleep health and wellness facilities providing lasting, non-surgical, non-invasive treatment for snoring, obstructive sleep apnea and sleep disordered breathing in the community of Charlotte. We are happy to serve our Charlotte community and believe there's no better way than providing healthy sleep for years to come.
