One in four children will experience sleep problems before their 10th birthday. Here are the top factors, plus steps parents can take to give their kids (and themselves) a good night’s sleep.
Blue light has been getting blamed for sleep interruption and eye strain. But the facts are that any bright light interferes with sleep, and computers themselves cause eye strain, an eye doctor says.
Many adolescents have trouble sleeping - but limiting screen use is not the solution. When used correctly, bedtime use of devices can be beneficial to mental health, without harming sleep quality.
Sunanda Creagh, The Conversation and Dilpreet Kaur, The Conversation
The science of sleep and the economics of sleeplessness
The Conversation, CC BY52.8 MB(download)
Only about one quarter Australians report getting eight or more hours of sleep. And in pre-industrial times, it was seen as normal to wake for a few hours in the middle of the night and chat or work.
While women’s sleep is affected by children, men’s sleep is affected by work and finance stress. Couples living in more gender equal countries have improved sleep quality.
You might be trying to catch up on sleep. Sleep scientists say some children need only nine hours of sleep at night, while others need as much as 11 hours. It depends on the person.
Teenagers aren’t just lazy. Their sleep hormones aren’t calibrated to let them get up and go until later in the morning – which has academic and health consequences when school starts too early.