Home News Why Earlier Bedtimes Lead to Healthier and Possibly Smarter Children by Red TricycleOctober 3, 2017 Search more like this sleepfall asleepcognitive skillslower risksleep schedulebedtimebehaviormonitorschoolwake uplanguagehealthplaylearn Advertisement Trending Now Celeb & Entertainment Melanie Lynskey Talks about Being Body-Shamed in Hollywood & ‘Starving Herself’ Viral & Trending Viral TikTok Explains Why You Don’t Owe Toxic Parents a Relationship with Your Kids Celeb & Entertainment ‘Bluey’ Season 3 is Coming to Disney+ This Week! Viral & Trending Dad Gets Shamed for Using a Leash with 5-Year-Old Quintuplets News Chrissy Teigen Announces She’s Pregnant Almost 2 Years after Losing Jack Advertisement Getting the kiddos to bed is. a. struggle #forreal. But studies show that kids that have an earlier bedtime, (between 6 to 9 p.m.) sleep longer, are healthier, and have stronger cognitive skills compared to children that fall asleep later in the evening. Studies found that children who sleep later in the evening — 10 p.m. or later — took longer to fall asleep, and were more likely to wake up in the middle of the night. Additionally, the well-rested munchkins don’t just sleep better: they were able to function to a greater degree at school. A study monitored 7 to 11 year-old students, and their sleep cycle. The students who were put to bed an hour earlier for five nights were rated by their teachers (who were unaware of the children’s bedtime) as being less irritable and impulsive than usual. In another study, researchers reported that 18-month-olds who went to bed before 10 p.m. were at a lower risk for motor, language, and social deficits compared with kids who went to bed later. So other than better rest and behavior in school, what other health factors can come into play? Well, kids with late bedtimes are more likely to be overweight. One theory is that sleep creates changes to the hormones leptin and ghrelin, which regulate appetite and hunger. While researchers point out that there is no standardized bedtime for children, they recommend that you try to incorporate an earlier sleep schedule by getting the children ready for bed 20 minutes to an hour earlier. Monitor their behavior the next day, and adjust accordingly. Learn more at Slate. Photo: Lars Plougmann via Flickr What time do your little ones go to bed? Tell us in the comments below! H/T: Slate Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)Click to share on Copy (Opens in new window) Search more like this sleepfall asleepcognitive skillslower risksleep schedulebedtimebehaviormonitorschoolwake uplanguagehealthplaylearn Welcome to our Tinybeans family! Be sure to check your email for new activities, recipes and parenting hacks – and to see if you’ve won! Do you have a dog or cat? Select YES below and click submit to start receiving FREE pet ideas and inspiration, news about new pet products, exclusive offers and limited-time promotions. Yes, I have a pet! Submit GET READY FOR SUMMER! Enter to Win a $250 Gift Card! Enter your email and zip code below for a chance to win a Mastercard Gift Card. We’ll pick one winner per month through August 31, 2022 – 5 lucky winners in all! email zip_code campaign_name Enter Now! I agree to the official rules and to receive email communications from Tinybeans. By providing my email address, I agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience possible. Accepting the use of cookies enables important site functionality including personalization and analytics. Accept Decline Create an account to save this content on Tinybeans Choose how you would like to sign up. Continue with Apple Continue with Facebook Continue with Google or Continue with Email By signing up, you agree to Tinybeans Terms of Service and acknowledge you have read and agreed to our Privacy Policy. Sign in to your Tinybeans account Don’t have any account? Create an account here. Forgot your password? Reset it here. Sign In or Continue with Apple Continue with Facebook Continue with Google Personalized recommendations Tinybeans uses personal information to share useful recommendations and ideas for your family. This may include your previous activity, family profile and your hometown. Tinybeans keeps your data safe and does not sell personal information to any third party. Learn more about your privacy and location choices. Close
Celeb & Entertainment Melanie Lynskey Talks about Being Body-Shamed in Hollywood & ‘Starving Herself’