Everyone knows sleep is essential for a child’s well-being, and parents everywhere dream of bedtime, when their little darlings will drift off to sleep and leave the house quiet for the grown-ups.
But the fantasy of well-rested children and quiet evenings doesn’t square with the reality, which is that children everywhere are getting less sleep than they need, write Kimberly Dishongh.
Earlier this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention proclaimed insufficient sleep among children — and their parents — a “health epidemic.” The federal agency’s data show only 31 percent of high school students get at least eight hours of sleep, on average — shy of the recommended nine to 10 hours for that age group.
For details on the dangers of sleep deprivation and tips on helping wee ones wind down, read Wednesday’s Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.