Nine hours of shut-eye each night?

Yes, that is what experts suggest – children should sleep for at least nine hours each night. A good way to know that your kids are getting enough sleep is to check if they get up refreshed in the morning, with little or no cajoling. They however may not be getting enough sleep if they sleep in class, are irritable, display low energy through the day, avoid physical activity, and display lack of concentration. Of course these symptoms do not necessarily indicate lack of sleep, however lack of sleep ‘can’ cause these symptoms.

It appears that not sleeping enough affects our children’s lives much more dramatically than common sense would suggest. The effects range from irritability, poor performance at school and playground, and all the way to increased risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and infections. (more at the new blog…)