It might be normal for adults to lack sleep even though its not normal But we are used to it Children on the other hand need enough sleep since they are still growing You might be surprised but kids grow during sleep If they dont have enough sleep it will badly affect their health
Of course forbidding your child to play video games is not a solution You know what will happen right The kid will just find another way to keep playing and you wont even be aware of that So what should you do
In this article you will learn about different ways in which too much time spent on video games affects the childs health You will also learn about the tips that will help you to develop a trustful relationship with your kid That might help you to talk sense into your kid and they will understand why its not a good idea to spend all their time in video games
Negative Effects of Lack of Sleep on Teens
If you have a kid then lack of sleep caused by any factors has negative effects on the child There 6 main negative effects caused by lack of sleep
Cognitive performance If your child is in school you will see marks getting worse and worse every time Pay attention to how many tech devices are there in your childs bedroom If 4 or more then it might affect your childs cognitive performance at school The teen can fall asleep in class or while doing homework it will also be more difficult to concentrate on tasks
Trigger mood changes Those kids who dont get enough sleep are more likely to be aggressive or impulsive Pls children might be attentive and hyperactive
Increase risk of obesity Whats even worse is that lack of sleep can affect the health so the child may develop diabetes later on in the future
Risk of being injured The studies have shown that those children who are participating in sports have a higher risk of getting injured if they lack sleep If a teen doesnt get 8 hours of healthy sleep a day there is a higher risk hell get injured
Mental health illnesses Those children who sleep 6 and fewer hours each night have higher risks of developing depression
Risk of developing an addiction If teens dont get enough sleep there is a risk they might turn to substances Its especially dangerous if the kid is prescribed medicine to fix sleep problems
As you can see lack of sleep is a serious problem Whether your child isnt even of age to attend a school or is already attending college they must get enough sleep Video games might not be dangerous when playing smart If your child tends to spend all their time playing games its not a good sign
Why Do Video Games Deteriorate Childrens Quality of Sleep
You may ask how exactly video games affect your kids ability to get healthy sleep The answer is simple screens of devices affect the biological rhythms of your child There is a hormone produced by our bodies its called melatonin When the daylight is fading the human body decreases the level of melatonin and this process is signaling the brain that its time to sleep
If a humans body is exposed to bright light then it keeps producing rather than decreasing the level of melatonin As a result the brain doesnt understand that its time to sleep The screen of a phone PC or tablet is producing extremely bright and artificial light If the child keeps playing video games before sleep it will inevitably ruin the kids ability to get enough sleep
Moreover there is another problem the kid can get too excited Games create certain emotions which could be pleasant or negative When trying to fall asleep the child could be too agitated Instead of being calm and falling asleep the kid is still too excited It can also lead to seeing dreams about the game and eventually waking up at night
5 Tips to Change the Situation
As it was mentioned completely forbidding playing games is not an option If you do so the child will see you as a bad guy It would cause more aggression or the child will find other ways to play games Instead use these tips to improve the situation
Talk with your child about the importance of having enough sleep The very first step is to have a trustful conversation Explain that lack of sleep will damage the health and might affect the well being of your kid
Bright light in the morning dimmer lights during evenings Its easier to wake up when your body is exposed to daylight When having breakfast in the morning try to sit near the window When its evening make sure to set up dimmer lights so the body will recognize its soon time to sleep
No video games before sleep Set a rule when your child can spend time while playing video games It shouldnt be 2 3 hours before sleep If your kid plays right before sleep he might get too excited to fall asleep Moreover it could affect the quality of sleep Or exposure to bright light from the screen will make it even harder for the kid to fall asleep
Let the child see the results Ask your kid how he or she feels after having enough sleep How was their day was it easier to complete school tasks Is it easier to do the homework You should plant the thought in your kids mind that when having enough sleep they feel a lot better
No bright lights in the kids bedroom As it was mentioned the bright light causes our body to produce melatonin The level of this hormone should keep decreasing before sleep so the brain recognizes when its time to sleep
Sleep is extremely important especially when the child is still growing As adults we understand the value of having enough sleep We know that we perform better that we feel better when we get enough healthy sleep
But children might not understand this Try to reason them so they understand how important it is for them to get healthy sleep In this case you wont even have to persuade your child to stop playing video games your kid will understand that playing games all day long is not an option
Final Thoughts
Sleep is vital in maintaining your body and mind healthy and well equipped Sleep plays an essential role in our lives keeping us fit preventing depression lowering the risk of heart disease and etc With the rapid development of modern technologies more and more people admit that their relationships with sleep deteriorated The results of researches conducted by scientists show us contradicting results Some feel deeply concerned about the reduced duration of the REM phase of sleep while others state that this difference is vague Anyway playing video games before sleep does affect sleep You can get more bedtime if put in some effort and treat this issue more seriously
Sleep needs to become a priority
Teens who are able to establish good sleep habits are significantly less likely to suffer from depression or to have suicidal thoughts
Alaska Sleep Clinic is the leader in Alaska for Pediatric Sleep Studies We know how important your child is to you and are here to help Call Alaska Sleep Clinic 907 770 9104
