Sleep & Sleep Problems in the Early Years (part 1)

Sleep and sleep related problems are foremost in my mind at the moment, not least because I have just attended a training workshop run by Scope, on Sleep Solutions in Daventry, Northamptonshire and coincidentally, have seen the freshly-released report by the Autonomous University of Barcelona that examines the link between sleep and a child’s intellectual development, but also because there is a high correlation between sleep difficulties and special educational needs. Many parents I see in the course of my work, have problems with their child’s sleeping habits.

Sleep is important to us all.  During sleep –

• Growth hormones are released

• The immune system strengthens, helping your child’s body to fight off illness

• The brain makes sense of the day’s events

• Memory and concentration functions are increased

• Our bodies gain rest

• Emotional well-being is restored.

The report from Barcelona found that a lack of sleep damaged core skills needed for learning and suggested that ‘parents should be taught about the importance of sleep for their child’s well-being.’ (BBC Education & Family site). Children of school age receiving less than nine hours sleep per night will have their capacity to learn impaired. ‘Memory, learning and motivation’ were all disrupted by a lack of sleep or the lack of a regular bedtime routine.

A similar report by the University of Michigan in the United States found a link between school bullies and aggressive pupils and sleep deprivation or sleep disorders. Over-tired pupils do not have the ‘emotional regulation necessary to control aggression.’

This report’s connections between sleep deprivation and aggression is interesting and we may think, self-evident, given how much we relate early morning grumpiness to a lack of sleep. But are any of us aware of how long-term the impact of poor sleeping habits may be? What we may think can be resolved by a good night’s sleep the next day, may not so easily be rectified as poor habits set in and create a cyclical pattern of sleep deprivation, poor behaviour, hyper-activity and tension before bedtime, followed by yet more nights of disturbed sleep.

For many parents of babies and young children, sleep and getting enough sleep, is a major, on-going problem. The baby or toddler who refuses to sleep, impacts on the sleep habits of the rest of the household. There is nothing so much that divides a family as lack of sleep.

Click here to read part 2 of this article.

Heather Stack is a SEN consultant and director of learning Services (SEN) Ltd. She offers a range of consultancy and training services for schools and other organisations. You can get in touch with her via LinkdIn or the learning services website.