<![CDATA[Lack of Sleep among S'pore Kids - pls share your views]]>Ref: The Straits Times , 23 SEP 2010

Lack of Sleep giving children a big headache - by Salma Khalik

According to a survey done among 2873 children by NUS, 4 in 5 children in S’pore between 6-16 years of age suffer from some form of headache"
…and for some, the lack of a good night’s sleep is to blame"

Dear Parents,
I’m getting really concerned as one of my children is suffering from lack of sleep and also ends up getting migraine attacks everytime, she is under stress. I had discussed this with other parents and most of them have been complaining that it takes a longer time for their children to fall asleep and by the time they are in deep slumber it is time to get up for school!!! This is inspite of the fact that they have had a hectic day of activities at school. Kindly share your experiences, concerns & comments…tks.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/topic/14161/lack-of-sleep-among-s-pore-kids-pls-share-your-viewsRSS for NodeTue, 21 Apr 2026 10:59:47 GMTFri, 24 Sep 2010 03:21:58 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to Lack of Sleep among S'pore Kids - pls share your views on Thu, 07 Sep 2017 07:19:04 GMT]]>

jedamum:
Fable,

Training ends at 7.30pm and he can be in bed by 9pm is amazing. Have time for dinner and homework in 1.5hr. Is school very near to home? Or you fetch him so he can rest early?

My son cca ends at 7.30 when he reaches home at 8.30pm by bus he is dead beat though not even sports cca.. After shower and dinner already 9.30pm. still have homework.

My second son sports cca til 4.30pm. If I don't meet him in school to take a bus back, he will fall asleep on the bus. This is on top of his usual 10pm to 6am sleep time he gets on weekdays.

How to boost energy level? Any tonic? Thanks.
What CCA is that? Band? I'm surprised the school allows CCA to go beyond 6pm since most IP schools already have longer hours than non-IP.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1799847https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1799847Thu, 07 Sep 2017 07:19:04 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Lack of Sleep among S'pore Kids - pls share your views on Thu, 07 Sep 2017 06:38:14 GMT]]>

jedamum:
Fable thanks for replying. Thanks your son too.


Elder son naps in school (it's a vicious cycle of not having enough sleep) before cca or does group project before cca. Then again, after dismissal to before cca typically only has an hour which something he said his brain already dead by 4pm. He wakes at 5.30am.

As for the younger one I think can improve his situation as the only equation missing from what you state seems to be exercising. Ge eats and sleeps well. And discipline to cut down on reading. He gets moody if he doesn't read daily.

Will explore probiotics too! Thanks!

Your son will have no problem with juggling sec school workload with such discipline. 🙂

Our pleasure! We found that probiotics keep the plumbing working smoothly. DS did some research on exercise and focus and found that the former really helps the latter. So before his oral exams he actually went for a jog on his own before getting ready for school. Dunno if it helped, but I figure if he felt it was useful and it gave him more confidence, then thats reason enough!

As for the last sentence... we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. I think its better to not expect too much , especially since he'll be becoming a teenager with all the attendant distractions 😓 I'm just hoping his sleep won't be too seriously impacted! :xedfingers:

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1799842https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1799842Thu, 07 Sep 2017 06:38:14 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Lack of Sleep among S'pore Kids - pls share your views on Thu, 07 Sep 2017 03:22:56 GMT]]>Fable thanks for replying. Thanks your son too.


Elder son naps in school (it's a vicious cycle of not having enough sleep) before cca or does group project before cca. Then again, after dismissal to before cca typically only has an hour which something he said his brain already dead by 4pm. He wakes at 5.30am.

As for the younger one I think can improve his situation as the only equation missing from what you state seems to be exercising. Ge eats and sleeps well. And discipline to cut down on reading. He gets moody if he doesn't read daily.

Will explore probiotics too! Thanks!

Your son will have no problem with juggling sec school workload with such discipline. 🙂

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1799819https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1799819Thu, 07 Sep 2017 03:22:56 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Lack of Sleep among S'pore Kids - pls share your views on Thu, 07 Sep 2017 03:14:09 GMT]]>Jedamum, its not school training - school CCA has stepped down already (yay). But it does require some discipline. I drive him home from training at 7.30 (7.45 if its the pool but he would have showered there). Home in 15 min, shower, dinner straight away. Then maybe 15 min to wind down before its off to bed (he takes forever to eat :roll: ). He can take the bus home on his own, and does sometimes, but I try to pick him up when I can to save him some time.


It helps that he is very into his sport, so the deal has always been that he has to finish his homework in the afternoon before he goes for training. If its something small like corrections, he tries to get it done in school between classes.

As for energy levels, he eats alot! And sleeps as much as he can. And has no academic tuition which frees up the afternoons as well. He knows that if he sleeps well and has enough rest, he is more alert in school and can learn things better, without having to revisit later. He has breakfast of bread and milk / milo, mixed rice for recess, a good lunch, a snack (sandwich or something fairly substantial) at about 5 before going for training, and a full dinner. And lots of water. Very very little junk food, and no (time for) tv / little computer time. Its a pretty disciplined lifestyle, and I think he's willing to do it only coz he really loves to train and considers that his leisure time.

My MIL is in charge of the tonics. She makes ginseng for all of us once a week to keep us balanced, and he gets black chicken soup every other week. If we are feeling a little under the weather, its time for some bitter herb drink. Thankfully DS actually likes all this medicinal stuff! Oh, and he takes probiotics as well.

I have no idea which or what combination of these enables him to do all the things he does and keeps his healthy. My suspicion is that the regular exercise and rest straight after helps in his focus and raises his energy levels. In the last few weeks during / after prelims and before holidays he would take an afternoon nap of maybe 45min straight after lunch. He says school time is tiring - doing papers, and going through work, and he needs a rest to recover.

My son saw this post and asks if your boys can do their homework in school before CCA starts? He says sometimes he'll stay back a short while to do his work with friends coz it gets done faster. But yeah, the life of a Singapore student these days is pretty tough, eh?!

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1799815https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1799815Thu, 07 Sep 2017 03:14:09 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Lack of Sleep among S'pore Kids - pls share your views on Thu, 07 Sep 2017 02:42:09 GMT]]>Fable,

Training ends at 7.30pm and he can be in bed by 9pm is amazing. Have time for dinner and homework in 1.5hr. Is school very near to home? Or you fetch him so he can rest early?

My son cca ends at 7.30 when he reaches home at 8.30pm by bus he is dead beat though not even sports cca… After shower and dinner already 9.30pm. still have homework.

My second son sports cca til 4.30pm. If I don’t meet him in school to take a bus back, he will fall asleep on the bus. This is on top of his usual 10pm to 6am sleep time he gets on weekdays.

How to boost energy level? Any tonic? Thanks.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1799810https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1799810Thu, 07 Sep 2017 02:42:09 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Lack of Sleep among S'pore Kids - pls share your views on Thu, 07 Sep 2017 02:07:22 GMT]]>

Funz:
DS is P6 this year. He goes to bed at 9pm and is up at 5.30am. Same as DD when she was in P6. In fact DD is in Sec 2 this year and still goes to be at 9pm.


They seem to be able to cope with their work including all the CCA and whatever supp classes they have. In fact, they are free most evenings.

Reakids, no idea what school your DD is in that the workload is so heavy. My experience with my kids and my niece and nephew is very different. All of them are in different schools but all do not have that high a workload. Of course if your DD has a certain goal or dream school that she is working towards, she may be more stressed. My kids did not aspire to go to any of the top sec schools so they worked at a pace that they are comfortable with. It was mummy here who was kinda stressed out with her pendulum act of cool mum and tiger mum. 😆 In the end, cool mum was way more fun so we went with that. 😉

One thing that believe in is physical activity in the midst of all these cramming. Kiddos are in sports CCA so they get trainings twice a week. All CCAs cease in the months before the PSLE so I tell kiddos to get out of the house to play or swim instead. Some physical activities helps relieve stress and helps them rest better at night.
My DS is taking his PSLE this year as well, Funz, and he also seems to have a manageable workload. Things were a little heavy at times in the second semester, and we girded ourselves for the onslaught, but in the 3rd sem it has eased off, and teachers go out of their way to schedule no work weekends and mini class parties in the midst of their studying.

I also believe in physical activity. DS is very active in sports, and we had been prepared to cut down on training hours as exams approach, but that doesn't seem to be necessary. He does some studying on his own, but honestly, I don't really know what he's covered. Our message to him in the last few years is that he is responsible for his own learning and his own grades, and hard as it is to resist stepping in as the big exam draws near, we are keeping to our hands off approach.

So he gets about 9 hours or sleep a night on school nights (9 - 6) and 10 - 11 or holidays (8.30 - 7.30), despite almost daily training that ends at 7.30. Am hoping he will be able to maintain this into secondary school!

I do appreciate that its more challenging when you are working. Although I say I'm hands off, I am around the house enough to see that he at least is still at the table working. And I'm sure he's more \"inspired\" to sit down to do his work knowing I can pop up at any time.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1799800https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1799800Thu, 07 Sep 2017 02:07:22 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Lack of Sleep among S'pore Kids - pls share your views on Wed, 30 Aug 2017 13:31:50 GMT]]>I think it’s good to inculcate some routine when it comes to sleep time for kids and not allow them to keep late nights consistently. And definitely they should stay away from electronic devices, especially when it’s an excuse for them to have phones by their side as an alarm clock to wake them up the following morning.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1798424https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1798424Wed, 30 Aug 2017 13:31:50 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Lack of Sleep among S'pore Kids - pls share your views on Tue, 08 Aug 2017 14:51:47 GMT]]>Thankfully, for my 6-year old twin girls, bedtime stories still work. I rarely finish a book. It’s like pooof…they sleep like the dead for hours. Sometimes they get out of bed in the middle of the night but when they hit the sheets, they’re in deep sleep all over again!

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1792470https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1792470Tue, 08 Aug 2017 14:51:47 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Lack of Sleep among S'pore Kids - pls share your views on Sun, 18 Jun 2017 06:44:05 GMT]]>I make sure my girls sleep at 10pm and wake up at 500am the next day.


Always tell them take a afternoon nap when they come back from school.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1779449https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1779449Sun, 18 Jun 2017 06:44:05 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Lack of Sleep among S'pore Kids - pls share your views on Thu, 11 May 2017 12:19:07 GMT]]>I think she is quite slow with work. It takes longer time for her to process information so maybe thats why. She is hoping to get in Anderson, which is one of the best sec schools in the North. The cop is 247 but her t score this year is 246, so thats why she has to work extra hard.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1773094https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1773094Thu, 11 May 2017 12:19:07 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Lack of Sleep among S'pore Kids - pls share your views on Thu, 11 May 2017 08:34:09 GMT]]>Another thing is to see if she has poor winding down habits. Does she study all the way, then go to bed? In the last 30-60 mins before bedtime, she should avoid studying, using phone/PC etc. Some time of chit chat with family, watching a bit of TV, reading, having a snack etc, may help.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1773069https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1773069Thu, 11 May 2017 08:34:09 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Lack of Sleep among S'pore Kids - pls share your views on Thu, 11 May 2017 08:27:50 GMT]]>DS is P6 this year. He goes to bed at 9pm and is up at 5.30am. Same as DD when she was in P6. In fact DD is in Sec 2 this year and still goes to be at 9pm.


They seem to be able to cope with their work including all the CCA and whatever supp classes they have. In fact, they are free most evenings.

Reakids, no idea what school your DD is in that the workload is so heavy. My experience with my kids and my niece and nephew is very different. All of them are in different schools but all do not have that high a workload. Of course if your DD has a certain goal or dream school that she is working towards, she may be more stressed. My kids did not aspire to go to any of the top sec schools so they worked at a pace that they are comfortable with. It was mummy here who was kinda stressed out with her pendulum act of cool mum and tiger mum. 😆 In the end, cool mum was way more fun so we went with that. 😉

One thing that believe in is physical activity in the midst of all these cramming. Kiddos are in sports CCA so they get trainings twice a week. All CCAs cease in the months before the PSLE so I tell kiddos to get out of the house to play or swim instead. Some physical activities helps relieve stress and helps them rest better at night.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1773065https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1773065Thu, 11 May 2017 08:27:50 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Lack of Sleep among S'pore Kids - pls share your views on Thu, 11 May 2017 08:07:46 GMT]]>Working mums probably share the same peeve. By the time I reach home is 7 plus. After settling down, it would have been past 8pm. And thereafter I need to go thru their schoolwork and do revision. Which is why my son only get to go to sleep ard 10pm. With this in mind, I choose a nearby neighbourhood school which starts later at 8am. We can leave the house at 730am and reach by 740am which is their assembly time. And in the afternoon, I make sure he takes a nap as he is cared for by his grandma. My child wakes up with a happy face and skip his way to school compared to the many grumpy faces I saw of other school going kids. I know my child is well rested and I can work at ease with that in mind.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1773059https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1773059Thu, 11 May 2017 08:07:46 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Lack of Sleep among S'pore Kids - pls share your views on Thu, 11 May 2017 07:26:03 GMT]]>My P6 DD sleeps at 10.30pm and wakes up at 6am. Which is only 7.5 hours of sleep. Sometimes she cannot sleep and ends up sleeping at 11pm+, while sometimes she wakes up at 5am just to do homework. That results in her getting headaches, which has been a constant problem for us. I told her not to stress herself that much, but considering it is soon PSLE period, I know it is difficult for her.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1773041https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1773041Thu, 11 May 2017 07:26:03 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Lack of Sleep among S'pore Kids - pls share your views on Thu, 16 Apr 2015 03:16:35 GMT]]>

jedamum:
My teenager clocks average 7hours if include weekends sleep in. Otherwise is 6-6.5hours on weeknights. No fb. Our relationship will sour if I nag him to turn in early as I am deemed not understanding. If he did, some occasions he will set early wake up alarm and get out of bed early to finish his work while I still snoozing. He has no complaints and look forward to school...but thinks he can survive on little sleep. 😞

I would think 7 hrs is OK even if not ideal. The main thing is whether he is often tired, lethargic, grumpy etc, and whether he gets sick often. If not, I suppose it's fine. I recall managing on 6-7 hrs a night in my sec school days too, and since I had ECA on Sat and church on Sun, I didn't really get to sleep much more during the weekends. My kids are getting 7 hrs a night plus an extra 1-2 hrs in the weekends, and they seem to be OK. No complaints about falling asleep in class etc, and their overall health is good.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1490620https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1490620Thu, 16 Apr 2015 03:16:35 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Lack of Sleep among S'pore Kids - pls share your views on Thu, 16 Apr 2015 03:05:00 GMT]]>My teenager clocks average 7hours if include weekends sleep in. Otherwise is 6-6.5hours on weeknights. No fb. Our relationship will sour if I nag him to turn in early as I am deemed not understanding. If he did, some occasions he will set early wake up alarm and get out of bed early to finish his work while I still snoozing. He has no complaints and look forward to school...but thinks he can survive on little sleep. 😞

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1490607https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1490607Thu, 16 Apr 2015 03:05:00 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Lack of Sleep among S'pore Kids - pls share your views on Sat, 26 Feb 2011 03:17:42 GMT]]>

livewith_vanilla:
I'm a secondary 1 student. 🙂


In primary school, my sleep time was around 8 hours.
In secondary school, I'm lucky to get 8 hours, most of the time, I get 7 hours.

I don't take naps in secondary school life nor did I take naps in p6 , cuz the life was just so hectic. Jam-packed. Stuck in school for 12 hours .

I miss my sleep , even weekends cant replenish my sleep. The amount of homework... *groans*

So, let your children sleep in on Sundays and during the holidays. Sure, they can do their work , but let them chill out. Being tired makes a person irritable. 🙂
Thank you livewith_vanilla for sharing the useful tips from a student's perspective. :celebrate: Appreciate it. Best wishes for you in secondary school and beyond. :love:

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/368338https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/368338Sat, 26 Feb 2011 03:17:42 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Lack of Sleep among S'pore Kids - pls share your views on Fri, 25 Feb 2011 12:47:13 GMT]]>I'm a secondary 1 student. 🙂


In primary school, my sleep time was around 8 hours.
In secondary school, I'm lucky to get 8 hours, most of the time, I get 7 hours.

I don't take naps in secondary school life nor did I take naps in p6 , cuz the life was just so hectic. Jam-packed. Stuck in school for 12 hours .

I miss my sleep , even weekends cant replenish my sleep. The amount of homework... *groans*

So, let your children sleep in on Sundays and during the holidays. Sure, they can do their work , but let them chill out. Being tired makes a person irritable. 🙂

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/368075https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/368075Fri, 25 Feb 2011 12:47:13 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Lack of Sleep among S'pore Kids - pls share your views on Fri, 25 Feb 2011 04:19:12 GMT]]>Naps are important if there isn’t enough hours for the night-sleep to make up the overall number of hours.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/367635https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/367635Fri, 25 Feb 2011 04:19:12 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Lack of Sleep among S'pore Kids - pls share your views on Fri, 25 Feb 2011 03:46:23 GMT]]>

cyn-w:
i try to get my boy to sleep about 10hours everyday 😃

Thats great. 😄 How old is your boy?

My DS (12 years old) sleeps only for 7 hrs (11:30 pm - 6:30 am) on weekdays 😞 + 1 hr of nap in the afternoon/evening after returning from school( this I insist, so that he is fresh for HW/revision).

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/367593https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/367593Fri, 25 Feb 2011 03:46:23 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Lack of Sleep among S'pore Kids - pls share your views on Fri, 25 Feb 2011 02:52:31 GMT]]>i try to get my boy to sleep about 10hours everyday 😃

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/367528https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/367528Fri, 25 Feb 2011 02:52:31 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Lack of Sleep among S'pore Kids - pls share your views on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 14:55:25 GMT]]>The research says 10 hours for kids 8 to 12.


11 and more for kids younger than 8.

9.5 to 10 for teenagers.

http://www.med.umich.edu/yourchild/topics/sleep.htm

Sleep deprivation is not a joke - it can cause a multitude of health issues, both mental and physical for anyone, not just kids.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/367162https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/367162Thu, 24 Feb 2011 14:55:25 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Lack of Sleep among S'pore Kids - pls share your views on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 13:58:55 GMT]]>How many hours of sleep is considered adequate for kids in primary school?

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/367095https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/367095Thu, 24 Feb 2011 13:58:55 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Lack of Sleep among S'pore Kids - pls share your views on Wed, 26 Jan 2011 06:31:16 GMT]]>As a student, I love my sleeep!! & I still love it!


During my secondary school days and even till now, I take afternoon naps if I had a brain-draining day in school.

Honestly, everyone is different and our body works differently.
Some people may need more sleep than others just to feel that same amount of 'refreshment' and 'alertness'.

I'm someone who can survive with little sleep. Key word: SURVIVE.
But if possible, I would love my sleep 🙂

For Secondary School students, their priorities are all wrong.
FB is more important than sleep.
Korean/HK dramas are more important than sleep.

For the studious ones: rushing projects is more important than sleep.

As a teacher, I always told my students:
Being EFFECTIVE & EFFICIENT is key to time management.

When you plan to sit down and complete your work, switch off ALL DISTRACTIONS.
If not doing work on the computer, turn off the computer, put HP on silent mode (and if possible, put it somewhere out of sight).
If doing work on the computer, no MSN, no FB, no Youtube, no games, etc.

Kids being kids.... they may not understand time management (be honest: many adults also lack time management skills).
GUIDE THEM to PLAN and ORGANISE their time.
It may seem like a big 'fight' at first. Perservere. You are teaching a LIFESKILL. No matter how hard it may be, try.

Also, teenagers prefer to be talked to as ADULTS. :roll:
Yet they don't behave responsibly like one. :roll:

So, I always encourage parents to simple sit your teenager down once and for all.
State out clearly the reasons:
1. To feed the growing brain and body, you need enough REST.
2. He/she deserves a good break and sleep after all the hard work, not waste energy on other activities of no 'benefit.

And state clearly how they can achieve that (remember: BABY STEPS):
1. Take a warm shower, lie on bed by 10pm, even if you don't feel tired. Just lie down to rest.
2. Plan your time by WRITING IT DOWN. E.g. 2 - 4pm finish schoolwork, 4 - 4.30pm shower, 4.30 - 6pm start on project (need to finish research and start off report), 6 - 7pm dinner, 7pm - 8pm TV, 8pm - 9pm computer time (if homework completed), 9pm shower and laze around.
3. Remind them that they are responsible for their own bodies, their own actions and they have to bear the consequences: falling ill due to lack of sleep, not doing well in school because they can't concentrate.

However, if your child is staying up genuinely because there's a lot of work to finish and they can't complete, it's time to stop the nagging and show your SUPPORT.

Simple actions like bringing them a drink, making supper if they feel hungry, making sure the lighting is good enough, they are not distracted by other things going on in the house (other family members watching TV too loudly, etc), etc.

And, staying up with them... even if you are doing your 'own things' like reading, watching TV, surfing the net.

Your child may seem to 'hate' it. Or may bug you to sleep. Just remind them that you are worried because you care and wish to stay up with them to show your support. 😄

If all else fails, they may need proper counselling from someone that they trust and listen to. It may be a family member they look up to (older cousins), or the school counsellor. 😄

Regards,
Mrs Wong
Tuition Web: http://www.mwtuition.com.sg
Personal Blog: thelittleonesinmylife.blogspot.com

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/346110https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/346110Wed, 26 Jan 2011 06:31:16 GMT