But mom, can I please stay up a little later tonight? An extra hour might not seem like a lot but there is a great deal of research that tells us that a lack of sleep has a number of negative effects on our children. These negative effects include not being able to focus, harder time learning in school, struggles fighting off illness, increased impulsiveness, and low school performance. Lack of sleep also has shown to have long term effects for our children's mental and physical health. This could include anxiety, depression, obesity, and heart issues.
The great news is that there are a number of things you can do to help your child get better sleep. Healthy sleep habits include turning off computers, TV screens, video games, and other bright lights. This step helps tell your child’s body that it is time to relax and sleep. It is also helpful to have consistent bedtime routines (even on the weekend) by keeping a regular bedtime, limiting caffeine before bedtime, getting enough physical activity, and taking a warm bath or shower before bedtime.
So when your child wants to argue with you about staying up later, stand your ground and help them get the rest that they need!