Christmas Eve May Not Be The Only Night Your Kids Don’t Sleep Enough
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Silent Night?: Santa may know when children are awake, but their parents don’t. That’s according to a recent study, which found kids are sleeping less than their parents realize — and not just on Christmas Eve or other nights when they might be too excited to fall asleep.
The Study: Researchers at Brown University monitored the sleep of 102 elementary-age children for one week with wrist-worn accelerometers. While 83% of parents believed their kids were getting adequate sleep, only 14% actually were. (The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children ages 6 to 12 get 9 to 12 hours of sleep.) On average, kids were getting only 8 hours and 20 minutes of sleep per night. Latino children got even less, with only 8 hours a night.
The Takeaway: Parents underestimate how long it takes for children to fall asleep and how many times they wake up during the night. Prioritizing sleep, maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, ensuring kids get plenty of exercise, and turning off screens at least an hour before bedtime can help.
Keep In Mind: The study was limited to a small group of kids in Rhode Island for one week, but the researchers theorize the trend is likely more widespread.
