Getting enough sleep is of paramount importance for growing children. A study conducted by Örebro University recently on the age group of 13-16 year old school students came up with the result that they may be tired and grumpy at school on Monday morning. The primary reason for this? Changed bed times and delayed sleeping patterns.
What Causes ‘Jet Lag’ in Children?
There is an optimum number of hours that a human being should sleep each night in order to be well rested. The actual number of hours is different for different age groups, for instance babies sleep for nearly 14 hours in a day in small naps scattered through the day, while the elderly may sleep barely five hours at night and still be fine. Teenagers need about 9-12 hours of sleep to function optimally, while most adults can do with about 8 hours of sleep. When your child does not get the requisite number of hours of sleep, the sleep deprivation results in jet lag like symptoms.
Why are Regular Sleep Hours Important for Homeschool Students?
As homeschool students do not have a fixed time to catch the school bus in the morning, many families chose to sleep in longer and get a later start to the day. Rather than being detrimental to their performance, the extra hours of sleep can actually help homeschool students to perform better in the classroom. This is because they are well rested by the time that they begin studies for the day. They are not sitting in class half awake and missing out on important points that the teacher is communicating to them.
Avoiding “Jet Lag” for Homeschoolers
As children grow into their teenage years, it takes them longer to get through their evening routine and go to bed. Plus even after they have gone to bed, they are not likely to fall alseep at once, as they used to when they were younger. So make sure that your homeschool students not only have a fixed bed time, but that they adhere to it. Ensure that you cater for the initial restlessness so that they manage to get the full complement of hours that they need to sleep to avoid jet lag syndrome.
