Understand why sleep is important for children

This year, World Sleep Day is celebrated on March 17. Here in Brazil, the event has been held since 2008, with the purpose of raising awareness and, consequently, reducing the burden that sleep disorders cause in society. Sleep specialist and Philips Avent consultant Danielle Cogo points out that sleeping is not a luxury and that the deprivation of it can have an impact on adult life.

Top benefits of sleep for children

At nightfall, families begin to organize themselves to carry on with the last tasks of the day and, above all, to get ready to put the children to bed. We know that keeping a consistent sleep schedule is important for the development of little ones, but what are the real benefits that this rest provides?

1. Memory consolidation and better learning;
2. Proper growth;
3. Strengthened motor skills;
4. Improvement in food;
5. Increased resistance to infections.

“Sleep is a necessity of the body like any other: eat, drinking water, physiological eliminations, among others. It is a state of brain behavior, in which each person has their own biological rhythm and needs. One person’s sleep should not be compared with another’s”, reinforces the expert.

Disadvantages of a Bad Night’s Sleep

According to Danielle Cogo, a good night’s sleep begins to build from the moment we get out of bed, which is why routine is essential. The expert emphasizes that children who do not sleep well, have several damages, including irritability, discouragement, low tolerance to frustration, lack of self-control, including headaches.

How to improve your sleep routine

To assist the children to have a quality night’s sleep, the specialist advises offering a suitable environment, organizing the daily routine according to the child’s needs and, when in doubt about how to organize well and not deprive the little ones of sleep, seek professional help.

“Sleep has its own characteristics, there is no ideal amount of hours of rest that is the same for everyone. It is important for parents to be able to identify their children’s sleep needs in order to organize a routine according to what they really need”, clarifies Danielle Cogo.

The expert points out that one should not ignore the sleep deprivation of the little ones: “It may be a phase, which passes, but the sleepless nights in childhood do not recover and will even impact the child’s adult life”.

By Pamela Moretti