What time should you sleep in your children?As soon as possible

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With the summer period, it's time for my annual metamorphosis.The moment I become this monster that prevents her children from enjoying barbecues or outdoor concerts to go to bed for a good hour before everyone else.Yes, I have two children aged 2 and 5, and I sleep them respectively at 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m..I know, I know, you are going to say that I am rigid, a spout, that I deprive my children of a happy childhood because they rarely have the possibility of sinking in the twilight.And believe that I am often made big eyes."Can you not...Just for tonight? "ask me my friends.No, I'm sorry, I can't.

Why?Because my children are happier and more pleasant to live when I lay them early and I don't change this routine.And the more I compulse scientific literature on this subject, the more I am convinced that by saying "good night" to your children as soon as possible, the best is.Studies are constantly observing an early bedtime is beneficial for the physical, emotional and cognitive development of children.Not only do children tend to sleep more when they bord them early, but their sleep is more restful.And an early sleeping schedule also does wonders for the well-being of parents.Use a glass of wine calmly?Lover against your spouse to watch, once is it customary, a film of great people?We ask for more.

Before continuing, let me specify two things.First, I know that this kind of routine is not possible in all families for timetables of time.I come back later.Second, I am not trying to teach anyone to anyone.Still, having made a lot of mistakes with my children's sunset, now that I am almost true, it is difficult for me to moderate my enthusiasm.

Sleep more, sleep better

Well, let's start with a disturbing fact.Today, most children do not sleep enough.According to several surveys carried out in the United States, around 30% of children under the age of 11 and more than half of adolescents make nights lower than the recommendations of experts.And if many specialists believe that young children should go to bed between 6 and 8 p.m., half of American babies and kindergarten students, as well as 64% of primary students, go to bed after 21 hours.

Studies have shown that a child's bedtime is closely correlated with sleep time.But that does not mean to say that going to bed twenty minutes earlier, the children save twenty minutes of sleep, the thing is more complex.Paradoxically, many studies have observed that when children go to bed later, they actually fall asleep to fall asleep.They also tend to wake up more often during the night and do not make enough morning to catch up.A study concludes as well as adolescents whose parents fix the time of sleeping at 9 p.m. or earlier sleep, on average, 40 more minutes more than those whose extinction of the fires is at midnight at midnight.Babies lying down before 9 p.m. sleep 78 minutes more than those that we put in bed later.And if you think that children that you sleep earlier need more sleep, and that if you put yours in bed an hour earlier, it will also wake up an hour earlier, here are some experimental data:When researchers asked parents to sleep their children, aged 7 to 11, an hour earlier than usual for five nights in a row, the children slept, on average, 27 additional minutes per night.

The benefits of an early bedtime exceed the direct impact on sleep time.In fact, "the moment when a child sleeps is perhaps as important as his sleep time," explains the pediatrician Marc Weissbluth, author of the bestseller Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child ("healthy sleep habits make childrenhappy").When sleep comes earlier in the night, it tends to be more restful than sleep of the night or early morning.Therefore, putting your children in bed earlier means ensuring them a maximum proportion of Roborative Ronflet.

More rested therefore wiser

And a child who slept well does not behave like a child who lacks sleep.In the same study previously quoted, children from 7 to 11 years old lying an hour earlier five consecutive nights during the impression of their teachers (who knew nothing about the experience) to be less irritable and impulsive thanhabit.A similar study conducted on children from 8 to 12 years old lying down an hour earlier four evenings in a row offers them a better short -term memory, better working memory and better capacities of attention than those lying an hour later thanusually.A longitudinal study observes that children lying on the earliest at 2 years have, at 8 years old, 62% risk in less to have attention problems and 81% risk in less to have aggressiveness problems perrelation to those lying later or irregularly.In a study published in April 2016, Japanese researchers conclude that children of 18 months lying before 10 p.m. have a much lower risk of suffering from motor, verbal and social deficits that those lying later.Note, however, that developmental disorders can be the cause of an irregular sleep rate, which means that a lack of sleep is not always the fault in this case in this case.

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Among adolescents, an early bedtime also seems to be beneficial.A study observes that adolescents lying before 10 p.m. have 24% depressed risk and 20% less suicidal risks than those watching later.Again, you are surely wondering if the kids who go to bed early do not differ from those who go to bed late on other plans-may be children whose life is less stressful, who have more present parents,So many factors that can play on their emotional health.The fact remains that sleep probably plays a role.And no, according to Weissbluth, it's not a good sign if the children are getting late on weekends.A study shows that the more a teenager will hang out in bed on weekends, the more faults he will make a test requiring attention.In reality, more often than not, fat mornings are a symptom of late sleep.

An effect on the risk of obesity

You are still not convinced?Know that there are also interesting correlations between sleeping time, sleep time and metabolic health.Research has shown that, compared to other children, those who sleep the least and go to bed the latest are more likely to be obese.For example, a study conducted on 5 -year -old children concludes that those lying down after 9 p.m. have 50% more risk of becoming obese when they grow up than those put in bed before 9 p.m..And even if they sleep as much, we see that the children who are later lying are more likely to be obese than those lying the earliest.It is not clear why the time of sleeping is linked to the risk of obesity, but hormonal changes - notably concerning the leptin and the ghrelin, which regulate hunger and satiety - could play a role.

Now you probably wonder: what is the ideal time to sleep for my children?Sorry, but there is no simple answer to this question: it depends on their age, their nap rhythm, among other factors.When my 13 -month -old daughter had sleep problems, I contacted Arielle Driscoll, a longtime friend and sleep specialist.His advice: in view of his waking time after her afternoon nap, I had to sleep my daughter at 6 p.m. some evenings-and it worked.For other children, it will probably be later, even if Driscoll rarely advises to exceed 8 p.m..Weissbluth confirms: the ideal bedtime depends on each child.The fact remains that you will have good clues by observing his behavior between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. (if it's a baby) or between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. (if your child is older): is he happy, pleasant to live?Is he on the contrary grumpy and irritable?(If your children are in the crèche or at school, ask those who deal with it at that time).To help you decide, Weissbluth also advises to carry out this simple experience: for a few nights in a row, try to sleep your child twenty minutes earlier and see what is happening.If the child falls asleep easily, there is a good chance that you will win to bed earlier.In addition, limit the use of screens (television, smartphone) before bedtime.Studies observe a solid link between screen times and sleep problems.

And logistics, in all of this?

To complicate things a little more, if your child gets up super early (before 6 am) or if you have the impression that he sent four Redbull cans when you want to put him in bed, only deduce'You have to go to bed later - Paradoxically, it can be the opposite.When children (and adults) lack sleep, their bodies secrete hormones like cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenaline, explains Driscoll, which gives them an energy shoot at bedtime and exposes them to insomniato wake up - if they wake up in the early morning, they will have trouble falling back.

Paradise would be at hand if there was no logistics.I'm lucky to work at home and have a flexible schedule, so I can easily sleep my children at 7 p.m..Many parents just don't have the possibility.What to do in this case?According to Weissbluth, even the parents tightest by their schedule can sleep their children a little earlier.And every minute of winning counts.You can ask your nanny to start the bedtime before you come home from work.You can also prepare your children's dinner in the morning, so you just have to warm it as soon as you pass the door.If you've really late - it happened to me already, ask someone to take care of the dinner and immediately go to the pajama box when you return.Maybe it will be impossible for you to sleep your children at 7:30 p.m. if you usually put them in bed at 8:30 p.m., but if you manage to advance the bedtime at 8:10 p.m., over time, these twenty minutes of won can beVery beneficial for your child, explains Weissbluth.

Obviously, an early bedtime has its disadvantages - by example, passing for crazy with your family or friends."I was told that I was" rigid "and that my children were going to become stuck because of me," recalls one of my friends.And the thing too, if you put your children in bed at 7 p.m., is that at least one of the two parents will not be able to move from the house for the rest of the night, unless you call on aor a baby-sitter."It's socially limiting", concedes Weissbluth.Except that the day, he adds, "as your child is less tired, you will have less trouble taking it out in public and it can be liberating".I confirm: sleeping my children earlier and at a fixed time reduces the risk that they bite me angry in the supermarket.But not 100%, it goes without saying.