The parents were to collect information about their children’s sleeping patterns. Kids of different races and ethnicity were included in the study. The study suggested that one-year kids sleep for about 12 -14 hours for a day. From 2-3 years slept for less than 12 hours. At the age of 4-8 years, the sleeping hours are reduced to 10 hours per day. Upon reaching their teens, they started sleeping only 8 hours per 24 hours section.

The change in sleeping patterns was experienced as the children continued to grow up. This was concluded to be because of change in behavior and adaptation to new ones. Lack of sleep resulted in the occurrence of many behavior problems, which are thought to be responsible for many heart diseases experienced in America.

The appropriate sleep time for children below 18 years of age

Infants should sleep at least 14-15 hours daily for better growth to occur. Then toddlers should sleep for about 12-14 hours for maximum satisfaction of sleep. The rest group of teens should make a point of sleeping for 10-11 hours daily. The sleep should be high quality. This means that it should not be interrupted, and if it is for 10 hours, it should be continuous without waking up at all. Disturbed sleep is like not sleeping at all because when your sleep is disturbed, your body will feel the need to nap again. The urge becomes stronger as the sleep accumulates in the brain.

The reasons why the kids should get enough sleep

Sleeping is a very important part of growth to a child although as he/she grows bigger, the need for sleep reduces a little. Sleep helps the infants to grow. Scientists tell us that growth takes place when children are sleeping and that lack of sleep affects their immune system, weakening it. The immune system is responsible for fighting attacks. Children that do not have enough sleep will always experience poor health. Sleep is important for the development of the brain too. Kids tend to play a lot and since playing involves learning, the brain growth is stimulated. When they sleep, the brain relaxes and prepares for the next day adventure. That why someone wakes up very relaxed no matter how tired by were during sleeping time.

If a child does not get the recommended amount of sleep, they may suffer from weight gain. This comes about due to the sleeping hormone searching for satisfaction elsewhere. Many children have been reported to experience memory loss and other related problems due to less sleep.

As a parent, it is good to make sure that your kids get enough sleep because if they do not, you will spend money getting them back to good health. Make bedtime rules that will be adhered to strictly.