For a plethora of reasons, kids need all the sleep they can get. But trying to get your littles to find the R&R they need can be a challenge for parents.
In a new study by Stanford Medicine, researchers found a simple and effective way that children can snag an extra hour of sleep. Published in The Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, the study found that at-risk children who participated in meditation gained more than an hour of sleep per night!
photo: iStock
So what did the meditation entail? Within the curriculum, more than 100 third and fifth-graders were trained to bring their attention to the present, practice yoga-based movements and learn exercise for deep breathing.
The coursework was taught twice a week for two years in elementary and middle schools within the study. Interestingly enough, despite the instructors not providing techniques to help sleep specifically, children within the study gained an average of 74 minutes of sleep per night.
While the results demonstrated a vast amount of data surrounding the topics of stress, meditation and sleep, the main takeaway is that the art of meditation can go a long way when it comes to preparing for bedtime. Not sure where to start? Check out this easy way to calm down before bedtime and these easy meditations for kids to get on your way to a peaceful bout of slumber.
To read all the important takeaways, you can read the entire study here.
––Karly Wood
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