Back to school

School begins and with it the difficulties of many parents for their children to recover the sleeping routine after months of summer with flexibility at bedtime and getting up.

It is advisable to develop relaxing nighttime habits and it is essential to turn off electronic equipment as soon as possible since the blue light emitted by these devices is an inhibitor of melatonin, a hormone that promotes falling asleep. Get rid of cell phones, tablets, computers... and minimize watching TV in the moments before going to bed.

As healthy habits, you can always resort to the traditional warm bath or shower in the hours before going to bed, in this way you will enter a state of greater relaxation.

The ritual should be carried out so that the children go to bed at practically the same time every day.

As always in these cases, there are studies that support these statements and, a study by University College London in which more than 11,000 children aged 3, 5 and 7 years participated, revealed that those who sleep at different times obtain lower test scores. reading, mathematics and spatial skills.

The research, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health , points out the need to establish a regular sleep schedule for children, as it enhances their cognitive development and can have positive effects on their health for the rest of their lives.

In the case of adolescents, it is known that sleep cycles change when moving from childhood to pre-adolescence as a result of a delay in the secretion of melatonin that occurs at this stage. Bedtime is later in adolescence, and this causes you to feel without energy and sleepy in the morning due to not having rested enough, which is recommended at these ages, around 9 hours.

It is therefore recommended to establish balanced sleep patterns, without major variations between school days and weekends, avoid stimulating drinks, not use the bed for other activities such as watching television and have a well-ventilated bedroom with adequate temperature. without noise or light.  

Of course, choosing a good mattress for your children is a key factor to ensure a good rest and that the next day they are fresh and ready to face the day.