To Get Sufficient Protein, Make Sure Your Child Sleeps Well: Here's Why

Quality sleep at night is extremely important for good health. Not only can it make you feel fresh and energised throughout the day, it can also reduce the amount of cravings and your dependency on caffeine. A good night's sleep rejuvenates and recharges every cell in the human body and prepares it to function properly. What's more is that sufficient sleep plays an important role in protein assimilation in the body. In a video posted on Facebook and Instagram, celebrity nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar talks about important of sleep in protein assimilation. She writes, "Without good sleep, protein specific tasks of growth, repair and maintenance get hampered. It's not just about consumption but also rest and recuperation."

The link between sleep and protein assimilation

With reference to children, Rujuta says that just the way some sort of physical activity is required for calcium to perform its function of strengthening bones and facilitating healthy growth, sleeping adequately is required for proper assimilation of protein. It is important to create an environment which allows your child to absorb or assimilate protein. Helping them have good sleep is the most effective way to do this.

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If your child (aged 13 or more) is sleeping late at night - which is any time after 9-9.30 pm - then you must know that no matter how much protein you feed him/her, it is not going to be absorbed or assimilated in their body, says Rujuta.

Limit screen time of children to ensure they sleep well and get adequate protein 
Photo Credit: iStock

It is quite likely for children to dislike dal, milk, nuts, eggs and other common foods that parents try to force-feed children. Parents do this to provide children with important nutrients like protein and calcium. Rujuta tries to highlight the fact that all the effort of convincing children to eat these foods also goes waste if children are not sleeping well and sleeping adequately.

Children in their adolescents should go to bed before 10 or 10.30 at the max, recommends Rujuta.

Also read: Lack Of Sleep Becoming A Public Health Crisis

How to ensure good sleep in children?

1. Make sure that your children have an hour's playtime daily. This will ensure their adequate growth and will also help them have a good night's sleep.

2. Children who do not get proper sleep at night are likely to face problems with their physical growth, digestion, social interaction, learning abilities and development of brain. Rujuta has previously mentioned on social media that children below 8 to 10 years should go to bed anywhere between 8 to 9.30 pm. Their bedtime can be extended by one hour or more as they grow up.

Also read: Sleep Well And Enough As It Keeps Your Heart Healthy; Tips For A Sound Sleep

3. Limit screen time of children. Avoid installing TV in children's bedrooms and also avoid giving them phones or tablets at night. Screen time of children should be ranging between 10 to 30 minutes in a day. Anything more than this can hamper child's eyes, sleep quality, mental health and physical growth to name a very few.

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.