April 20, 2006

KIDSPOLL SHOWS LEHIGH VALLEY’S KIDS ARE NOT GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP

Weller Center Stresses the Importance of Establishing a Bedtime Routine

(Lehigh Valley, PA) With more and more things competing for your child’s waking hours, it is not surprising to hear that most kids are sleep deprived. A recent KidsHealth® KidsPoll asked 191 Lehigh Valley-area children, ages 9-13, during a visit to the Weller Center, to share their habits and attitudes about sleep. In total, 1,187 children from health education centers across the country weighed in on this topic. The results showed that an estimated 62% of kids ages 9-13 do not get enough sleep and 70% wish that they could get more sleep. Of those children who are sleep deficient, most required an additional hour or more of sleep per night to meet the recommended amount for children their age. Experts recommend that school-age children receive 9.5 to 10.5 hours of sleep each night.

What can parents do to make a difference in their child’s sleep habits? The KidsPoll found strong evidence in support of establishing a bedtime routine. Kids who reported having a bedtime routine were:

  • More likely to get the recommended amount of sleep
  • Less likely to be tired at school
  • Less likely to wish for “much more sleep” than they usually get

Part of establishing a bedtime routine is setting a time for your child to go to bed. The KidsPoll found strong support for parents taking the lead in setting their child’s bedtime.  Children who reported that their parent “decides what time to go to bed” were more likely to get an adequate amount of sleep; in fact, they averaged 45 minutes more sleep nightly than children who chose their own bedtime.

Is it too late to start a bedtime routine if my child is elementary age? Not at all. The Weller Center shares simple tips for establishing (or re-establishing) a bedtime routine with your child.

Tips for Establishing a Bedtime Routine:

  • Bedtime: Set a bedtime for school nights and stick to it. 
  • Prioritize: Make sure homework (or any other preparation your child needs to make for the next day) gets done first to ensure your child can get to bed on time.
  • Wrap it up: 30 minutes before bedtime, encourage your child to finish any projects or activities, and begin the bedtime routine (wash face and hands, brush teeth, etc.).
  • Unwind: Include activities in the routine that will help your child slow down and relax (like taking a shower or reading a book).
  • Time together: Spend a few minutes recapping the day together. Not only is this a great chance to catch up with your child, but your voice and presence will help your child to relax.
  • Goodnight: Say goodnight and remind your child to stay quiet and in bed.

The KidsHealth KidsPoll on Sleep surveyed 1,187 children ages 9 to 13 across the U.S. at 10 member sites of the National Association of Health Education Centers (NAHEC), including the Weller Health Education Center. The survey was conducted by researchers from the Department of Health Education and Recreation, Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Survey questions were drafted with the expertise of the KidsPoll Scientific Advisory Board and Experts.

For more information about the Weller Center and its programs, please contact Lisa Liddington at 610-258-8500, ext. 26 or lliddington@wellercenter.org. For complete survey findings and methodology or to view the 2004-2005 KidsPoll archive, please visit nahec.org/KidsPoll.

For the Media:  Images and practical tips:

www.kidshealth.org/media/kidspoll/sleep.html

For Kids: What Kids Say About: Sleep

http://www.kidshealth.org/PageManager.jsp?dn=wellercenter&article_set=47413&lic=127&cat_id=20450

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About the Weller Health Education Center

The mission of the Weller Health Education Center is to measurably improve children’s lives by giving students the tools they need to make informed and healthy life choices. To accomplish this, each year the Center partners with more than 500 schools to supplement and enhance the teaching of health, character education and life science for students grades K through 12. The Center was the first not-for-profit health promotion, disease prevention education facility of its kind in Pennsylvania. Serving more than 1.2 million children since our inception in 1982, the Weller Center remains the only such center in our 39-county service area and one of just 34 health education centers across the nation.

About the KidsHealth® KidsPoll

A project of the National Association of Health Education Centers (NAHEC), the Nemours Center for Children’s Health Media (creators of KidsHealth.org), and Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Department of Health Education and Recreation (project researchers), the KidsHealth KidsPoll gives children a national platform to share their views on health-related issues that affect them. For more information about the KidsHealth KidsPoll, please visit nahec.org/KidsPoll/.

About the National Association of Health Education Centers (NAHEC)

NAHEC is a network of nonprofit health education centers (HECs) and of other organizations that support children’s health education and provide products and services to HECs. NAHEC member centers reached over 3 million children, teachers, and parents in 2005. HECs use life-size exhibits, advanced audio-visual technology, and specialized, interactive instructional techniques not generally found in conventional classrooms. The curriculum is designed to support school-mandated areas of study. With programs like "Whodunit? - A Forensic Science Camp," Hummers outfitted with removable organs, and playgrounds modeled after anatomy parts, you’ll see why former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop proclaimed that health education centers “put pizzazz in prevention.” For more information about NAHEC, please visit nahec.org.