The Influence Of Bedtime On Children – Being Parents
“Go to bed or you won’t grow up” is surely one of the phrases most heard in childhood, as adults of previous generations used it to intimidate younger children and encourage them to go to bed earlier. .
But what, according to psychiatry, are the consequences for children of a late bedtime?
In this article, we bring you some surprising scientific claims that children who go to bed late tend to suffer from more disorders.
This is undoubtedly a controversial position. Let’s see the results of this study.
What the science says about bedtime
Are you one of those mothers who send their child to bed late? Or whose little one doesn’t want to sleep, even if you put them to bed early after setting up the sleep routine?
Then inevitably complaints await you the next day when your child has to get up early.
In this regard, a highly controversial new study states that going to bed early makes a huge difference in children’s growth and development. These are the conclusions of a renowned pediatric psychiatrist, Dr José Ferreira Belisario.
According to the studies carried out by this doctor with an indisputable career, the change in our habits and lifestyles has an impact and directly influences the future of children, being able to develop problems such as lack of attention, increased lifestyles. anxiety and various disorders.
Going to bed before 10 p.m. is not common these days. What is frequent, according to what Dr Belisario says in his report, is the frequent recourse of these families to medical consultations because of the negative consequences of a late bedtime.
Is it possible to change the bedtime?
Although it is possible to change some sleep habits, it should be noted that it is nothing less than changing the habits of the whole family since the child will not agree to go to bed early. he notices that everyone in the house is still standing.
Therefore, specialists recommend preparing the environment at bedtime and turning off the lights in the house.
Another piece of advice that the doctor consulted added is that the lighting in the house or at least that of the bedrooms should avoid being white and rather preferably yellow, as it is a warm light that relaxes and promotes sleep. .
According to Dr. Belisario, leaving certain electronic devices on such as cell phones or tablets is not recommended. According to him they are actually harmful because they wake people up at dawn.
Why shouldn’t children go to bed late?
According to various scientific studies, children need to be in bed early for one simple and basic reason: Growth hormone still works at 12:30 a.m. in most people, but it only does so during the fourth stage of sleep.
As a result, if the child goes to bed no earlier than 10 p.m. or 11 p.m., the said hormone will have a considerably reduced time of action, which will adversely affect its growth.
To conduct this study, brain images of children who fell asleep early were compared with those of children who went to bed late. The children were then subjected to mathematical tests. Children who went to bed early stood out for their optimal performance, to the detriment of the second group, which only stood out in small part.
The researchers hypothesized, without confirming anything, that those who sleep less or who sleep less tend to retain less than better rested children, who they believe will grow up to be adults less likely to suffer from diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. .
However, the specialist in child psychiatry noted that Alzheimer’s disease can be prevented or delayed through exercise and sleep. “The more, the better,” said the doctor, who later argued that parents should have their children play sports from an early age.
Without a doubt, this is a study that will gain ground. The debate is open and opinions are divided. This is why at Being Parents we want to know your opinion on these controversial statements: do you agree with them?
