Sleep is not just a means of rest. It is essential for the regeneration of all organs, especially the brain. While stress hormones decrease during sleep, growth hormone release increases. In this way, the body repairs itself, reconstructs itself, protein synthesis increases, and prepares itself for the new day. We spend most of our lives sleeping, especially in infancy. Insufficient sleep is an element that may adversely affect the child's bio-psycho-social health. Burçin Yorgancı Kale explained the importance of sleep-in childhood and the diseases that can be caused by sleep problems as follows:

How Many Hours of Sleep Should Children Get at What Age?

Uninterrupted sleep during the night occurs with the maturation of the circadian system between 3-6 months. Consecutive uninterrupted sleep duration is most often defined as 6 or 8 hours in research.

In early childhood (1-3 years), the need for sleep is approximately 12-13 hours, and the need for daytime naps decreases to about 18 months. The need for sleep in the preschool period is about 11-12 hours, and the time from going to bed to falling asleep varies between 15-30 minutes. It is accepted that children around 4-5 years of age do not need daytime naps. The total sleep requirement for school-age children is 10-11 hours, and since the need for daytime sleep is not an expected situation, it is necessary to evaluate the sleep quality of a child who sleeps during the day in the classroom, service, and home. A child of primary school age is expected to wake up spontaneously in the morning. The first 3 months are not defined for the minimum daily sleep requirement according to age, 12 hours are accepted in infants between 4-12 months, 11 hours between 1-2 years, 10 hours between 3-5 years, 9 hours between 6-12 years, and 8 hours between 13-18 years.

What Problems Can Insomnia Cause?

It is suggested that early childhood sleep problems have negative effects on the child as well as impairing family functionality and have negative effects on parental mental health. Prolonged insomnia leads to deterioration in the body's temperature control, nutritional metabolism, immune system, and other regulatory systems. This problem has been associated with increased consistency and aggression, anxiety disorder, oppositional disorder, hyperactivity, attention-memory problems, low school achievement, alcohol in adulthood, and substance addiction. Those with poor sleep-in childhood (poor quality, inadequate) have a high risk of obesity.

What Should/Should Not be in the Rooms For Quality Sleep?

For sleep quality, a quiet environment and appropriate room temperature should be provided.
Night lamps with lights that can provide dim light would be preferred.
There should be no TV-phone-computer in the room. Children can easily get used to sleeping in front of the TV. If the child has a television or computer in the bedroom, it is difficult to control the child's sleep time.
In addition, the child's bedroom should not be used for different purposes such as punishment.

How to Maintain Sleep Hygiene?

• The rules that provide the necessary conditions for quality sleep are called "sleep hygiene". Here are the points to pay attention to…
• Establish bedtime routines for infants and children and practice these routines with compassion.
• Children's bedtime and bedtime should be arranged, and bedtime and bedtime should be the same on school days and holidays.
• A sleep routine that includes calm activities such as bathing, brushing teeth, wearing pajamas, hugging, and lullabies should be established within the last hour before bedtime.
• After putting young children to bed, it may be useful to spend some time with the child to calm them down (such as caressing them, reading them a book, or telling them a story) or to let them sleep with a toy they like.
• When it is time to go to bed, a quiet environment should be created and games and activities that require high energy should be avoided before going to bed. 
• Watching exciting movies before going to bed, exercising, and prolonging the time to fall asleep, leading to a decrease in sleep time. 
• The child should not be put to bed when hungry, and heavy meals and large portions should be avoided within two to three hours before bedtime. 
• Children should avoid beverages such as tea, coffee, and chocolate containing caffeine during the day and especially before sleep.
• It is beneficial for the child to do regular sports activities outside the home every day in terms of sleep patterns, but s/he should avoid heavy exercises within two to three hours before bedtime. 
• Adolescents, on the other hand, should definitely get the sleep they need every night, they should not prefer to sleep less one night and close the sleep gap in the following days. 
• If there is a need to take a nap during the day, care should be taken to ensure that it is short and that the naps are not in the evening hours and are in the afternoon or afternoon. If you have difficulty falling asleep at night while taking a nap, sweets should be avoided.

Press Coverage: sozcu