# Baby Sleep

The Connection Between Sleep and Growth

Getting enough sleep is important for a young child for many reasons, from restoring energy to building brain connections (not to mention giving Mom and Dad a needed break). But science is showing that sleep also fuels physical growth.

The science of growing

Growth is a complex process that requires several hormones to stimulate various biological events in the blood, organs, muscles, and bones.

A protein hormone secreted by the pituitary gland called growth hormone (or "human growth hormone") is a key player in these events. Several factors affect its production, including nutrition, stress, and exercise. In young children, though, the most important factor is sleep.

Growth hormone is released throughout the day. But for kids, the most intense period of release is shortly after the beginning of deep sleep.

How much sleep do they need?


Two- and 3-year-olds need 12 to 14 hours of sleep every 24 hours (a combination of about 12 hours of night sleep and 1 ½ to 3 hours of naps), 4-year-olds about 11 to 13 hours (with about 11 of the hours at night). (Sleep needs are somewhat individual, with some kids requiring slightly less or more than their peers.)

Without adequate sleep, growth problems — mainly slow or stunted growth — can result. Growth hormone production can also be disrupted in kids with certain physical sleep problems, such as obstructive sleep apnea

Kids who don't get enough sleep show other changes in the levels of hormones circulating in their body, too. Hormones that regulate hunger and appetite can be affected, causing a child to overeat and have a preference for high-calorie carbs. What's more, a shortage of sleep can affect the way the body metabolizes these foods, triggering insulin resistance, which is linked to type 2 diabetes.

A lack of sleep at night can also affect motor skills and concentration during the day, leading to more accidents and behavioral problems, and poor performance at school.

Ensuring a good night's sleep
Most kids need more sleep than their parents think.

Signs that your child may not be getting enough rest include crankiness or lethargy by day, always falling asleep in the car, and being hard to wake up. If your child is hyper at bedtime or tired before it's time to go to bed, that's another clue his schedule may not be consistent enough.

To help your child get plenty of zzz's:

•Establish consistent daily sleep times and stick to them.
•Have a regular bedtime routine, which helps signal to your child's body that it's time to wind down. This might include giving him a bath or snack, reading a bedtime story, and talking or singing softly to him while tucking him in.
•Make sure your child's room is conducive to sleep. It should be dark and quiet.
•Avoid roughhousing before bedtime. It's stimulating instead of sleep-inducing.
•Stick to the same timetable and routines for bed on weekends and vacations that you normally have. A variation once in a while won't cause long-term disruptions, but erratic bedtimes can lead to poor sleep habits and sleep deprivation


How much sleep does your child need?

You know your child needs less sleep now than he did when he was a baby, but how much less is still enough? Every child is different — some need more sleep and some less — but here are general guidelines for how many hours of sleep a child needs on average each day.

Age / Nighttime sleep / Daytime sleep / Average total sleep

2 years / 10.5 to 12.5 hours / 1 to 3 hours (1 nap) / 11.5 to 15.5 hours
3 years / 10.5 to 12.5 hours / 1 to 3 hours (1 nap) / 11 to 14 hours
4 years / 10 to 12 hours / 0 to 2.5 hours (1 or no nap) / 10 to 13 hours
5 years / 10 to 12 hours / 0 to 2.5 hours (1 or no nap) / 10 to 12.5 hours
6 years / 10 to 11.5 hours / none / 10 to 11.5 hours
7 years / 9.5 to 11.5 hours / none / 9.5 to 11.5 hours
8 years / 9.5 to 11.5 hours / none / 9.5 to 11.5 hours

* Note: The two sets of numbers don't always add up because children who take longer naps tend to sleep fewer hours at night, and vice versa.

Keep in mind that most kids need a lot of sleep — usually more than parents all
ow for. Often, says BabyCenter sleep expert Jodi Mindell, author of Sleeping Through the Night, if a child has poor sleep habits or refuses to nap or go to bed before 10 at night, his parents will assume that he just doesn't need much sleep. That's probably not the case — in fact, it's likely that such a child is actually sleep-deprived, hence his hyper, overtired behavior at bedtime. To see whether your child falls into this camp, ask yourself:

•Does my child frequently fall asleep while riding in the car?
•Do I have to wake him almost every morning?
•Does he seem cranky, irritable, or overtired during the day?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, your child may be getting less sleep than his body craves. To change this pattern, you'll need to help him develop good sleep habits, and set an appropriate bedtime and then stick to it. A preschooler or young grade-schooler who's outgrown napping needs a solid 11 to 12 hours of sleep a night, and that amount will gradually decrease as he gets older. Even so, by the time he's a teenager, your child will still need nine to ten hours of shut-eye a night.

sumber: www.babycenter.com