Sleep habits vary in children

Children tend to vary widely in their sleep habits, with some sleeping for a longer duration and others having a better quality of sleep. It is believed that all of us need to sleep well to remain fit and healthy. Besides diet and exercise, a good night's sleep is essential for maintaining good health. The sleep habits are particularly critical for the growth and development of children. These habits vary widely from one child to another. Some are naturally 'short sleepers' requiring smaller intervals of sleep whereas others need a long duration to stay in bed. These differences tell us that there is no optimal amount of sleep for children. A certain amount of sleep 'normal' for one child can be insufficient for another. This has a lot to do with the biological makeup affecting the amount of sleep any child needs. To assess how sleep habits vary in children, researchers at the Child Development Center at University Children's Hospital Zurich followed 305 children involving structured sleep-related interviews and measurements of height and weight 12, 18, and 24 months after birth and then every year until 10 years of age. The results showed that the sleep habits varied widely in children. There was significant variability in how much sleep these children typically got each night. However, most children (90 percent) remained fairly steady in their sleep habits throughout childhood. Individual children in the study did show short-term fluctuations in the amount of the time they slept each night. And the average amount of sleep time naturally declined over the long term - from more than 14 hours per day at age 1 to 10 hours at age 10. However, most children were stable in their sleep habits over 10 years of age. Those who tended to sleep less than their peers in early childhood also did so at an older age and the same was true for long sleepers. Thus, it is important for parents to recognise the sleeping habits of their children.