Effects of lack of sleep on child development
A good night’s sleep is just as important as drinking water everyday. Studies show that a person should get at least eight hours of sleep whereas children should get a maximum twelve hours of sleep at night. These sufficient hours of sleep can help in improving cognitive ability. Children need many hours of sleep to develop and function properly.
Sleeping problems are most common during childhood within the general population especially when they start going to early learning centre adelaide. A lack of sleep can have many adverse effects on the development of a child. Here are some effects that will provide us with a better understanding:
Mood Problems
Lack of sleep can have a great impact on a child’s mood. They tend to develop an aggressive approach towards anything. A minor inconvenience can awake the rebel side in them. They feel irritated due to lack of rest. They spend their day without any social interaction. They appear to be difficult to approach due to cranky moods. This in turn also affects the mood of their parents and siblings. They tend to get rash with their parents whenever something doesn’t go the way they had in mind. The parents seem to feel embarrassed at the hands of their children which may result in scolding or spanking. They display a rowdy behaviour and later blame it on their sleeping schedule. They fail to take responsibility for their actions.
Performance Problems:
Poor school functioning has been associated with the performance problems in children . This hinders their performance and results in poor academic results due to lack of sleep. Their brain activity is reduced which affects their long term memory. Children find it difficult to grasp and recall the concept being taught in school. They feel tired and fail to engage themselves in extra curricular activities. It is important for children to interact in their developmental years. It helps them in personality building and boosts their confidence. They are always looking for someone’s assistance to help them finish their work which takes away their sense of being independent. Their concentration becomes weak which in turn deteriorates their cognition.
Slow reactions and Eating problems:
Lack of sleep makes a child lazy and slow. The children slow down due to the fatigue and tiredness. Their reflex actions are affected badly. They fail to act instantly whenever any situation is thrown at them. Their judgement becomes weak. This makes an easy target for the bullies as everyone would expect them to not fight back. Due to this, they might lose their sense of self worth.
The eating problems are also affected due to unhealthy sleeping patterns. During sleep, the metabolic rate slows down and the process of restoration occurs. This lack of sleep speeds up the metabolic rate. Sometimes, it also relates with the fact that to avoid boredom, children binge eat. This later affects their health and may result in adverse medical issues. This is why a proper sleep schedule is essential and should be maintained during children’s developmental years.