When it comes to the health of a child, most people mainly concentrate on food, nutrition, and physical exercise as the primary determinants of good health. And while that is true to a huge extent, there is one aspect that often goes unnoticed,and that is sleep. Yes, just the way your child needs sufficient nutrition and lots of physical activity to keep healthy, he/she also needs ample sleep to stay in the pink of health.Sound sleep is necessary for their complete growth and brain development.Here, in this article today, we, at K.R. Mangalam School, listed among the Best CBSE residential schools in Delhi, will share with you the top 5 reasons that will make you understand why you should take care of your child’s sleeping hours as meticulously as his/her diet.
- Sleep stimulates growth
According to conventional notions, a child grows during its nap time. Surprisingly enough, even researchers have confirmed that growth hormones remain more active when kids are in a deep sleep. Hence, most of the growth-related physiological activities take place when your child remains asleep. Therefore, if one fine morning, you feel as if your child has grown overnight, you might not be imagining completely.
- Good sleep for good heart
Ample sleep is good for the heart. If your child is having adequate sleep every day, be sure he/she is most likely to stay safe against any cardiovascular problems. Physicians have already confirmed that children who sleep well do not suffer from issues like abnormal levels of artery-blocking cholesterol, obesity, diabetes, or any other variety of chronic diseases. Even the physiological functionalities maintain a harmonic balance when a child grabs enough hours of sleep every day.
- Sleep keeps the weight managed
Various studies have revealed that a specific hormone named leptin signals us to stop eating when we have eaten enough to get the required amount of nutrition. If you continue eating beyond this limit, chances are more that you would end up gaining those extra pounds. The same mechanism takes place in a kid’s body as well. Sleep deprivation may lead to malfunctioning of leptin, enhancing the chances of eating beyond what is required. Hence, your child might suffer from unhealthy weight gain if he/she is not sleeping well.
- Sleep serves as an immunity booster
When children remain asleep, a unique protein called cytokines gets generated. This special variety of protein is particularly critical in fighting against infections, stress, illness, and germs. This protein also makes the humans sleepy, and upon falling asleep, this protein helps in strengthening the immune system. For adults as well as kids, sleeping less might mean becoming more susceptible to infections and diseases. Hence, to maintain overall health, ample sleep is a must.
- Sleep helps in brain functioning
The conscious part of the brain keeps working for the entire day when your child remains busy managing his/her daily tasks. But, it also needs some rest to replenish the daily wear and tear thus accrued. The sleeping hours allow the brain to restore enough energy to be ready for the next day’s tasks. Hence, a sleep-deprived child often suffers from lack of concentration, poor memory, and less brain agility compared to a well-rested one.
So, as you can see, grabbing ample sleep is not just an option but is rather a necessity for ensuring good health of children. This is why we, at K.R.MangalamSchool, would like to suggest the parents tokeep a watch on your child’s hours of sleep. During this time of lockdown, when children are getting less involved in physical activities, they might feel less sleepy as well. But it is necessary to make sure that you get your little one engaged in some sort of physical activities at home so that they feel the need to take a good nap. Keep your kids well-rested, and it would not only improve their overall development process but will also add on to their immunity.