DECEMBER 2016 MIAMI for web

HEALTHY KIDS
PROPER SLEEP PATTERNS
MAY BE THE KEY TO HAPPY,
HEALTHY, THRIVING CHILDREN.
Isn’t it funny
how the one
thing we
hated more than
vegetables as
children is the
one thing we
can’t ever seem
to get enough of
as adults? If we
knew then, what
most of us know
now, we would
have slept more.
The effects of sleep
deprivation were Studied
ad nauseam where it
pertains to adults. But if
we actually want to delve
into why our sleep patterns
are the way they are,
we must look at sleep in
children and understand
why it’s such a valuable
commodity and fully
comprehend the full effects
of not getting adequate
sleep.
Sleep is as important, if not
more, than any one thing
we do to take care of our
bodies. For children, this is
even more so. They’ve not
yet developed the horrible
sleeping patterns that
time, pressure, and workrelated
stress. What proper
sleep does for children will
have positive lasting effects
for their entire lives. Sleep
is so vital it has quickly
become an urgent health
mission in America.
Some of the many benefits of getting
adequate rest are ones any parent, medical
practitioner, or educator would appreciate.
Proper sleep has a direct correlation with a
child’s mood; thus, impacting their ability to
learn and to behave properly. Sleeping for
the recommended hours (based on a child’s
age) has been proven to lower a child’s risk of
becoming obese, developing diabetes, having
learning disabilities, and having difficulties
paying attention in class or at home. Just as we
adults know that proper sleep is as beneficial
to a child’s overall health as nutrition and
regular exercise.
When a person – young or old – begins to sleep,
the body gets to work to repair and repackage
the bodies neurotransmitters. These are the
chemicals that allow our brain to recognize
signals and patterns and enable our brain cells
to communicate with the rest of the body.
Mostly, these signals tell your body to purge
what it doesn’t need to make room for what
it does need. It rids itself of harmful diseasecausing
toxins and rejuvenates the healthy
cells in our bodies.
Experts suggest that families follow a strict
routine around bedtime. Adhering to that
cycle, helps your child to recognize cues and
to keep
themselves
in check.
Their bodies
and brains
will naturally
begin shut
down in a
sense to
allow them
end their
days and
"Sleep is as
important, if not
more, than any
one thing we do
to take care of
our bodies."
sleep as they should. Children between the
ages of five to about twelve-years-old should
sleep about nine and a half hours per night.
You might find that your kid does well with
slightly more, but whatever the case, it is our
jobs as parents to create an environment
that is conducive to sleep. Create a nighttime
routine like bath, a book, and sleep. Explain
to your child how the body works and what
it does when you’re sleeping. They’ll be
fascinated to know that sleep helps protect
their hearts, can prevent weight gain, can
destroy toxins and germs, can increase their
ability to concentrate, and can help them to be
the best person they can be because they did
what their body needed to do to make them
thrive.
By Olga Lucia Gomez, MD
14 / HEALTHY MIAMI