Beth Anne Piehl
Special Sections Writer

NEWS-REVIEW

A key to determining the cause of a child’s frustrating behavior may lie in  the amount of sleep they are getting each night.
Most children require upwards of 10 hours of sleep each night, according to Bill Sides, supervisor of the Northern Michigan Regional Hospital Sleep Center. Those hours allow for the full restorative cycle of sleep to occur and even for the release of growth hormones.

“Some parents may not realize that the behavior of their children or their performance at school is directly related to the hours of sleep they are getting,” said Sides.

It is important for parents to keep their children on a regular sleep-wake cycle, even on the weekends. With his own four children, ages 11 to 3, they remain on the same bedtime schedule between 8-8:30 p.m., Sides said.

“In order for children to get the restorative type of sleep they need, they have to have that time set aside,” he said. “We need a minimum of 8 hours to complete the cycle, at a minimum.”

For children, it is even more important, though the challenges of their changing natural sleep-wake rhythm, known as the Circadian Rhythm, shifts later as they enter the teen years. Kids may not get tired until 10 or 11 p.m., Sides said, but they need to wake for school usually around 7 a.m.

Some school districts— Sides cited one in Minnesota — that has pushed its start-time later to better accommodate the sleep needs of kids. He also said studies have shown students who take the SAT in the afternoon fare better than those who are tested in the morning.

Sleep deprivation: The effect on kids

Parents of sleep-deprived children don’t need to be told what happens to the younger set when they don’t get enough rest.
As a general rule, young children tend to act out more and become more hyperactive and difficult to control when they’re sleep-deprived, whereas adults become more lethargic, Sides said.

In the school setting, these children may be unable to remain focused on lessons and teacher instruction as well.
Often times, those behaviors can lead to an improper diagnosis of ADD or ADHD, when instead of medications all the child needs is a little more sleep, Sides added.

“If we could just improve their sleep hygiene and their sleep  patterns, some of these issues would go away,” he said.
If your school-aged child is falling asleep on the bus ride home or on the couch watching TV after school, they probably need more sleep at night, he said.

Sometimes, biology might be a factor in sleep disturbances. Enlarged tonsils can restrict airflow and cause restless and interrupted sleep. This condition, typically seen in kids ages 3 to 6, can be identified by a pediatrician and referred to ear-nose-throat doctors for treatment.

Bed-wetting, sleepwalking, talking and snoring are all signs of sleep disturbances that may require treatment or further study by a Sleep Center, even perhaps with the child undergoing a sleep study to determine the cause of sleep problems.

Sides noted one local case where a mother of twin girls was concerned that one daughter was a full head shorter than her sister, and woke up often disheveled and cranky. “She had an upper airway resistance,” Sides said. After surgery to correct the problem, “she almost instantly slept through the night, stays in her own bed and her demeanor improved. And she’s catching up on her sister.”

But Sides said much of the time, medical intervention isn’t required; it comes down to a child simply not getting enough rest.
“If you’re not allowing your child at least a 9- to 10-hour window at night, then right off the bat they’re not getting the opportunity to get enough sleep,” he said.

He added, “What is the mystery of life? I’m thoroughly convinced that’s the third leg of the stool: Sleep, nutrition and exercise are what it’s all about.”