Oh stop. Sleep IS important but most of the kids are all getting around the same amount of sleep but the hours are shifted. For example: Kid 1: asleep at 8:30 and up at 4:30 = 8 hours Kid 2: asleep at 10:00 and up at 6:00 = 8 hours Many studies show that going to bed early has a lot of benefits. |
Those hours are for adults. 8 hours is not enough time for a child of 11 years of age and their circadian clock is shifting to falling asleep later. |
No it’s not for adults. I have teens and this is for teens. 13-18 years is 8-10 hours. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4877308/ |
I started early morning swim practice at age 11, this was back in the 80s. I don't think most child athletes are thinking too much about end points at this age other than being as good as they can (improving times for swimming) and having fun - i did it because i loved the sport and was good at it. And i don't think these kids and families need an end point...it's totally fine to enjoy it and get the benefits of strong work ethic, excellent fitness, confidence, excelling or improving at their sport in the moment. OP, this will be an adjustment for your child. They will be tired at first, but keep encouraging an early bedtime (without pressure) and if they are tired enough, it will happen. Eventually, they will decide it's worth it or not. |
| Just keep in mind that being in bed for eight hours doesn’t equal eight hours of sleep. Adults usually are awake or restless for 45-60 minutes throughout the night. Children tend to sleep a little more deeply but maybe add at least an extra 30 minutes to their sleep schedule to get to your actual goal. |
9-12 is the recommendation for children aged 6-12 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4877308/#:~:text=Children%206%20to%2012%20years,basis%20to%20promote%20optimal%20health. |
| That’s insane OP. Kids need sufficient sleep. This is parenting 101. |
Hey idiot, I said it was for 11 years old. You quoted 13-18. That is not 11, stupid. |
I’m sorry, but someone needs to say it. This is child abuse. Pure and simple. |
Regularly sleeping fewer than the number of recommended hours is associated with attention, behavior, and learning problems. Insufficient sleep also increases the risk of accidents, injuries, hypertension, obesity, diabetes, and depression. Insufficient sleep in teenagers is associated with increased risk of self-harm, suicidal thoughts, and suicide attempts. |
| I don’t understand why educated parents are choosing this schedule for their children. |
The person I responded to said, “those hours are for adults.” I explained they are for teens. But nice mouth. |
I’ll bite. I’m an attorney and my husband is a physician. We think it builds great discipline. It makes the kids goal focused and keeps them out of trouble. They get the recommended amount of sleep for their ages and they are doing well in sports and school. |
And what if the child chose this? It was 100% my child’s choice to switch to morning practice this coming year. Our swim club has hundreds of kids who swim in the morning. My kid could have done afternoon but he wanted to do mornings. He is a kid who will put himself to bed early when he is tired and none of us ever go to bed late. He will still get enough sleep just shifting it earlier. So many kids who don’t do morning sports don’t get enough sleep. How many kids do you know whose parents let time go to bed whenever they want. We have friends whose middle school kids go to be at 10 or 11 and need to be up at 6am. Is this also abuse? |
Then why do do many parents let their kids have phones in their room and be up till midnight? I'm with you, by the way. But I think there are a lot of sleep deprived kids out there walking around due to TiK Tok and texting, maybe 2 days a week of early sports practice isn't that bad? Especially before HS when homework demands ramp up. |