Happier & healthier: How much sleep your kids need and how to help them get it

MILWAUKEE -- Did you know that almost 70 percent of kids are short on sleep? Child development expert Jessica Lahner joins Real Milwaukee to help us fix that.

Sleep requirements:

Obstacles to sleep:
• Cultural shift allows for less sleep
o Younger children engaged in more structured activities
o Lots of homework
o After-school activities (tutoring, music, sports)
o Long parent work hours
• Family time and extracurriculars are valuable, but not at the expense of sleep.
Risks of Childhood Sleep Deprivation:
• Sleep is when the brain really develops - especially for children ages 0-3.
• Difficulty managing emotions.
• Difficulty controlling bodily impulses.
• Inability to stay focused and perform well.
• Symptoms that look like ADHD.
• What looks like misbehavior is often missing sleep.
Ingredients for Quality Sleep:
• Make sleep a priority.
• Regular sleep and wake times to respect child`s body`s wake/sleep cycle.
• Limit lights: exposure to light too close to bedtime tells the body is should be awake.
• Exercise
• Feelings of safely and security
• Consistent bedtime routine: Effective way to increase sense of security and serves to signal that it`s time for bed