This is an EXCELLENT post from Dr Weissbluth's blog. It talks about how many behavioural issues can be simply symptoms of an overtired child. I think about my children and when they get tired. They can get hyper/giddy on one extreme or emotional/having a meltdown on the other extreme. They also test more and are not generally obedient or compliant. But when they are well-rested, we don't have these issues hardly. So clearly sleep has a BIG impact on children and their behaviours. I have also seen how children get "hyperalert" from lack of sleep and how others say "They just don't need much sleep" when in fact the opposite is true. This article highlights the benefits are an early bedtime for preschooler. It really is a great read and has some great thoughts. Enjoy!
Child Psychology and Sleep
December 8, 2010 by weissbluthmethodRobert Daniels, PH.D., has helped many families in Chicago and we welcome his views on the importance of sleep for our children.
Marc
Disruptive Behavior and Bedtime Battles
By Robert E. Daniels, Ph.D., Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Executive Director,
Chicago Children’s Clinic
It’s 4:30 PM and your 4 year-old child is hungry, so you feed him a light snack to tide him over until his dad gets home and you can have a family dinner at 6. By 5:15, he’s really getting disruptive—screaming, throwing things. Around 6, your husband comes home. Instead of being greeted by the warm embrace of his family, everyone, instead, faces the prospect of another evening of dodging kicks and flailing arms. After a ridiculous dinner at which you struggle to get your child to sit down to the table, you take a deep breath to weather the storm of another bedtime battle. You battle to get him to bed over the next 2-2.5 hours. When you’ve completely had it, and you think you cannot weather any more kicking, pinching, and screaming, he or she finally falls asleep between 8:30 and 9 PM. You can sometimes get him to sleep by 8, if you let him sleep in your bed, but you know that is not a good idea, so you only try that under desperate circumstances. Lately, you have noticed your child waking up between 1 and 5 AM. You are way too tired to fight to get him to go back to his own bed, so you let him sleep fitfully in your bed until 5:30, but you don’t get any sleep.
During the day, your child is having difficulties in preschool. He cannot sit still on the rug. He is easily upset. His teacher and school call you for a meeting to discuss his behavior. You call your pediatrician. He refers you to a psychologist, psychiatrist, or social worker. Or, perhaps, people conjecture; it’s a “sensory issue.” You look up on the Internet all sorts of disorders: ADHD, Sensory Integration Disorder, Reactive Attachment Disorder, Depression, Anxiety. You feel guilty, scared, overwhelmed.
This scenario is a textbook example of an overtired child, and overtired family. Families facing these challenges are referred to me often. The importance of taking a detailed sleep history cannot be underestimated when assessing the cause of daytime disruptive behavior. Preschool-aged children require 12-14 hours a day of sleep. Overtired children may need even more. In children and families who have nightly bedtime battles, their children are going to sleep after 8 PM, sometimes not until 9 or 10. Their sleep becomes shallow, easily disturbed, and fragmented. They awaken again between 1 and 4 AM. Many times, they are then taken to their parents’ bed, where they may “rest” for 1-2 more hours. Little restorative sleep is occurring.
Professionally, in these cases, I say to parents, “You have an over-tired child. While it is possible that there is another condition, as well, until you have a well-rested child, it will be difficult to determine what, if any, other condition exists.” When parents institute a very early bedtime: dinner at 4-4:15, bath at 4:30, bedtime routine by 5; the child usually falls asleep by 5:15-5:30. Routinely, the parents call me 1-2 days later saying that their child is sleeping from 5:30 PM until 7 AM the next morning. After 2 weeks of an early bedtime, 8 out of 10 times, the child’s behavior has improved so significantly, no further treatment is necessary. In the remaining cases, treatment is still necessary, but the psychological issues are significantly easier to treat because we are now treating a well-rested child; one who is better able to tolerate frustration. In addition, we now have well-rested parents! Finally, the institution of an early bedtime provides additional predictability, structure, and routine into their family’s life together.
Marc
Disruptive Behavior and Bedtime Battles
By Robert E. Daniels, Ph.D., Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Executive Director,
Chicago Children’s Clinic
It’s 4:30 PM and your 4 year-old child is hungry, so you feed him a light snack to tide him over until his dad gets home and you can have a family dinner at 6. By 5:15, he’s really getting disruptive—screaming, throwing things. Around 6, your husband comes home. Instead of being greeted by the warm embrace of his family, everyone, instead, faces the prospect of another evening of dodging kicks and flailing arms. After a ridiculous dinner at which you struggle to get your child to sit down to the table, you take a deep breath to weather the storm of another bedtime battle. You battle to get him to bed over the next 2-2.5 hours. When you’ve completely had it, and you think you cannot weather any more kicking, pinching, and screaming, he or she finally falls asleep between 8:30 and 9 PM. You can sometimes get him to sleep by 8, if you let him sleep in your bed, but you know that is not a good idea, so you only try that under desperate circumstances. Lately, you have noticed your child waking up between 1 and 5 AM. You are way too tired to fight to get him to go back to his own bed, so you let him sleep fitfully in your bed until 5:30, but you don’t get any sleep.
During the day, your child is having difficulties in preschool. He cannot sit still on the rug. He is easily upset. His teacher and school call you for a meeting to discuss his behavior. You call your pediatrician. He refers you to a psychologist, psychiatrist, or social worker. Or, perhaps, people conjecture; it’s a “sensory issue.” You look up on the Internet all sorts of disorders: ADHD, Sensory Integration Disorder, Reactive Attachment Disorder, Depression, Anxiety. You feel guilty, scared, overwhelmed.
This scenario is a textbook example of an overtired child, and overtired family. Families facing these challenges are referred to me often. The importance of taking a detailed sleep history cannot be underestimated when assessing the cause of daytime disruptive behavior. Preschool-aged children require 12-14 hours a day of sleep. Overtired children may need even more. In children and families who have nightly bedtime battles, their children are going to sleep after 8 PM, sometimes not until 9 or 10. Their sleep becomes shallow, easily disturbed, and fragmented. They awaken again between 1 and 4 AM. Many times, they are then taken to their parents’ bed, where they may “rest” for 1-2 more hours. Little restorative sleep is occurring.
Professionally, in these cases, I say to parents, “You have an over-tired child. While it is possible that there is another condition, as well, until you have a well-rested child, it will be difficult to determine what, if any, other condition exists.” When parents institute a very early bedtime: dinner at 4-4:15, bath at 4:30, bedtime routine by 5; the child usually falls asleep by 5:15-5:30. Routinely, the parents call me 1-2 days later saying that their child is sleeping from 5:30 PM until 7 AM the next morning. After 2 weeks of an early bedtime, 8 out of 10 times, the child’s behavior has improved so significantly, no further treatment is necessary. In the remaining cases, treatment is still necessary, but the psychological issues are significantly easier to treat because we are now treating a well-rested child; one who is better able to tolerate frustration. In addition, we now have well-rested parents! Finally, the institution of an early bedtime provides additional predictability, structure, and routine into their family’s life together.
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