Helping Kids Sleep: Ages 6-10

Sleep Slip

With homework, extracurricular activities and friends competing for kids’ time, sleep often slips down the priority list during the grade-school years. But kids still need a regular bedtime and a relaxing nightly routine. According to the American Professional Sleep Societies, sleep deprivation in young children brings on hyperactivity and inattentiveness. Even small amounts of lost sleep hurts kids. Losing just one hour of sleep brings on ADHD-like symptoms in young children.

To help elementary-age kids get the recommended 10 to 11 hours of nightly sleep, keep bedtime consistent within one hour, even on weekends. And watch out for caffeine-laden drinks; the Journal of Pediatrics reports that 75 percent of kids ages 5-12 drink caffeine daily, and that the more caffeine kids consume, the less they sleep.

> Helping Kids Sleep: Ages 0-5 and 11-18

Malia Jacobson is a nationally published health writer and mom of two. She blogs about sleep and family health at thewellrestedfamily.com.