The most recent National Sleep Foundation poll on children’s sleeping habits confirmed the same thing that experts in sleep have been observing for a long time: children aren’t getting enough rest.
For instance, kids under 10 years old do not receive the amount of sleep that is recommended for their age. It also revealed that many parents aren’t conscious of whether enough sleep is adequate for their children. Sydney Mattress Cleaning
“It is clear from the poll results that we need to focus as much on the sleeping half of children’s lives as we do on the waking half,” said Jodi A. Mindell who is the chairperson of the task force that compiled the poll. “Children are clearly not getting enough sleep.”
In the words of Arthur Grehan, executive director of American Innerspring Manufacturers, a trade organization that is a nonprofit the issue has been a long-running one which is now being brought to the forefront.
“For years, we’ve focused many of our industry’s educational resources on home and classroom materials aimed at teaching families about the importance of sleep for their children,” Grehan explained.
What can parents do? First, they need to be aware of the amount of sleep their children require. Based on the National Sleep Foundation, pre-schoolers should get an average of 11 to 13 hours of rest a day. School-aged children (firstthrough fifth graders) should be getting between 10 to 11 hours of sleep.
According to Grehan that the mattress itself can contribute to a child’s inability to sleep. AIM suggests that children rest on innerspring mattresses which do not exceed the age of eight.
“Many toddlers and pre-schoolers graduate from the crib to the thin foam mattresses that came with a piece of youth furniture, and some of the youth who are on full-size beds are sleeping on hand-me-down mattresses that are more than 10 years old,” he explained. “In the end, a good night’s sleep for a child means that the parents can rest easy, too.”
