Lack of Sleep among S'pore Kids - pls share your views
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wonderm:
I agree with wonderm..it is more of a habit than anything else. My kids aged 9 and 12 start to wind down at 8.30pm. They will be asleep by 9.30pm latest and wake up at 6am with no problem, this is becos we have this routine since they were toddlers.
I understand your concern. My kids are older than yours, 12 and 14, I think this is something we parents can help them (in not getting into a habit of sleeping too late). Both my boys sleep around 9:30pm when they were in primary school with occasional afternoon naps. My elder son sleeps before 10:30pm, and before 11:00pm in Sec 1 and Sec 2 respectively and wakes up at 6:30am. He is very active in CCA and school activities. I think it is more of a habit than the need to stay late to finish homework, provided they manage their commitment and time.MummyThreeStreams:
My children are not in Primary school yet and I make sure they are in bed early. But, having read here about how little our school-kids sleep makes me rather concerned.
They have a full packed day with school, CCA, tuitions, sports and time to do homework etc so by 7pm, all homework are done , we will have dinner and after dinner, it's time to wind down..read a book, chit chat etc.
I think when my son goes to sec sch next year, he will probably sleep a little later but we have always maintain that sufficient sleep is very important for one's well being.He will have to manage his time and workload accordingly. -
My son in primary school is in bed by 8.30. All homework done. My daughter (now in JC) also was able to do that in primary school.
Come secondary school, it is terribly difficult to do that. Sleeping 3hrs a night is frequent. Things got so bad that I remonstrated with the school. The school responded that it was possibly (1) surfing (2) youtube and (3) Facebook.
Since I am very much in touch with my daughter’s life, I know it isn’t these 3. It’s a combination of (1) every teacher giving homework without co-ordinating with other teachers (2) CCA and (3) extra-curricular opportunities such as Model United Nations, research opportunities with Profs, essay competitions etc…
By secondary school, kids are less obedient and when a child is driven to perform, she will push her body’s limits. It comes from too successful academic parenting in primary school. A child that is used to performing in primary school won’t tolerate losing out later either.
I tried grounding, caning, scolding… nothing worked.
I again had to remonstrate with the school when she landed in hospital with pneumonia which developed from a simple flu that a good night’s sleep would have overcome. Since she slept poorly for 2 months, she never got well. The school finally gave her reprieve from holiday homework. I locked up her laptop for 1 month.
She was more careful after that.
The kids definitely don’t have enough sleep in secondary school. Definitely. -
Chenonceau:
3 hrs a night only?! It's a wonder she held out for 2 months! I'm sorry to hear about your daughter's pneumonia. Hope things get better after this incident.
Come secondary school, it is terribly difficult to do that. Sleeping 3hrs a night is frequent. -
I am lazy to read the previous post, and not too sure if this is already posted.
Well this is official scientific stuff.
When we reach our teens - around 12 years old to 18… somehow, our biological clock tends to shift. And many teens will have difficulty if they are put to bed early. Also, due to this strange biological clock shift, teens will have difficulty waking up early in the morning… This symptom will last until the teens reach their 20s and the biological clock will shift back to normal.
this is why there are many actives trying to encourage schools to adjust their timing.
A good advice to parents is to provide your child with proper meal at the correct timing. As our biological clocks follows the timing of the meals we eat, having breakfast in the morning helps the body to "be notified" that this is morning time. Well, I did afew research on body clocks, hope to share with all when i could recall more stuff. -
DD is going P1 next year, and just learnt that sch bus will pick her up at 6am...
She used to be in aftn session when in Kindergarten and often sleeps around 11+, really worry how is she going to cope...
Tried to make her go to bed by 9.30 tonight, she went inside the room by the timing given, but not sure if she was sleeping leh...
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PSLEmom:
How about getting our kids to sleep??? Count 100 sheep?
Hi,
My method is : off light, cant talk cant move... :lol:
5 mins later, you can hear.. snore....
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I am able to understand as I’m twelve. Indeed, whenever I try to sleep, there would be this headache and energy remaining in my body that even if I shut my eyes and try to sleep, I would feel so restless and roll around the bed.
Some ways I curb this is by:
*Taking a hot shower. I believe the heat from the water would regulate the blood vessels and thus ensure a more comfortable body.
*Decreasing air-conditioning temperature. I understand that this may be energy-wasting however cool air makes me feel sleepy.
*Do not let your child play any electronic games at night. Electronic games would increase a child’s energy and he/she, wanting to finish the game/continue playing, would twist and turn, his mind locked in combat as to whether he should play and defy his parents’ orders or try to sleep which is like torture.
Those are all the helpful tips I could provide. As long as you don’t let your child’s television show/book/video game end on a cliffhanger, then your child would have better chances of a good night’s sleep. -
Just to add on - doing relaxing stuff, say, reading a book, or watching some television program (make sure you FINISH it), lastly dont count sheep or cows or goats or ants or bacteria or humans or whatever, there’s no scientific proof that it helps. I’ve triedit myself and it just kept me awake for 1.25 more hours. -.-
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My kid goes to bed at 8:30pm and wakes up at 6am. It works relatively well, although it is hard for him to wake up when the sun is not up, no matter how early he goes to bed.
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Chenonceau:
It is understandable but as a twelve-year-old in secondary school that sleeps at ten and wakes up at seven, I disagree with your last statement. Indeed sufficient sleep is needed for a healthy and energetic mind.My son in primary school is in bed by 8.30. All homework done. My daughter (now in JC) also was able to do that in primary school.
Come secondary school, it is terribly difficult to do that. Sleeping 3hrs a night is frequent. Things got so bad that I remonstrated with the school. The school responded that it was possibly (1) surfing (2) youtube and (3) Facebook.
Since I am very much in touch with my daughter's life, I know it isn't these 3. It's a combination of (1) every teacher giving homework without co-ordinating with other teachers (2) CCA and (3) extra-curricular opportunities such as Model United Nations, research opportunities with Profs, essay competitions etc...
By secondary school, kids are less obedient and when a child is driven to perform, she will push her body's limits. It comes from too successful academic parenting in primary school. A child that is used to performing in primary school won't tolerate losing out later either.
I tried grounding, caning, scolding... nothing worked.
I again had to remonstrate with the school when she landed in hospital with pneumonia which developed from a simple flu that a good night's sleep would have overcome. Since she slept poorly for 2 months, she never got well. The school finally gave her reprieve from holiday homework. I locked up her laptop for 1 month.
She was more careful after that.
The kids definitely don't have enough sleep in secondary school. Definitely.
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