April 6, 2020

Getting better sleep with less screen time and more physical activity lies with you.

It’s been one of those weeks: You’ve been up all night with a baby or a work deadline. Your two hours of sleep are followed by a day of coffee-guzzling and a late night. You’ve finished all your evenings with a Facebook or Netflix binge, too exhausted to do anything else. If this kind of cycle is hard on us, imagine the impact it can have on children’s developing brains and bodies.

The American Academy of Pediatrics offers guidelines concerning sleep, screen time, and physical activity. A 2018 Canadian study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, examined the effect of these AAP recommendations on more than 4,500 children between the ages of 8 and 11. Specifically, researchers looked to see if families:

• Limited screen time to no more than 2 hours each day.
• Ensured children slept 9–11 hours nightly.
• Met the physical activity guidelines for children by encouraging 60 minutes of vigorous play every day.

Out of all the participants, 71 percent met at least one of the requirements, but only 5 percent met all three. There was a significant relationship between children’s scores on cognition tests and each recommendation that was met, particularly regarding screen time and sleep.

While studies such as this one don’t show a clear cause-and-effect relationship, they do add to a growing body of evidence that supports practicing mindfulness regarding these childhood experiences and how they are interrelated. Previous research on the effect of preschoolers’ executive function skills indicate that focus, planning, and working memory can be affected by fatigue, lack of movement, and screen time. 

Sleep is critically important to academic performance. One study found that losing an hour of sleep could impair performance as much as two grade levels. Any parent that has attempted to wrangle an overtired child can understand the effects on exhaustion on self-control. Lack of sleep appears to be a contributing factor to childhood obesity as well. Too much time on screens is related to a child’s unwillingness to engage in more physically active pastimes, creating a pattern of sedentary behavior and attachment to screens, which, in turn, negatively affects sleep. 

Even if we all see the benefits of adhering to the recommendations, we can still understand how difficult it is to be in that 5 percent. Parents do not need to feel ashamed for not being able to meet a standard that feels unrealistic. The key is to take baby steps:

• Be mindful of what you’re modeling, especially when it comes to screens. Children are very aware of our own struggles with tech dependence. Put phones away when interacting with your children. Having screen-free times and places for your family may be helpful. Don’t let your child sleep with their device, and for better sleep, unplug all technology at least an hour before bedtime.

• Physical activity is an opportunity for connection, so make it enjoyable for all of you. Bike rides and family walks are fun, but even putting on music for a dance party while you clean up the kitchen together or doing a few minutes of yoga are all ways to move while simultaneously bonding.

• Encourage your child’s school to balance technology with real-world experiences, including recess, which is sadly diminishing in many schools. 

Lisa Phillips, a licensed social worker and parent educator at The Parenting Center at Children’s Hospital, is a contributor to the award-winning “Parenting Corner” column. She can be reached at 504.896.9591. chnola.org/parentingcenter