Sleeping enough hours for our body to recover is something necessary for all people, regardless of the stage of our life in which we find ourselves. However, in the case of babies and children, it is important that the recommended times are respected according to their age, as a good rest is essential for its healthy development.
And so important is that a recent study found that sleeping a few hours during the first two years of life could negatively affect cognitive development.
Conducted by the University of Alberta in Canada, the study analyzed the impact that the duration of sleep had, as well as its disruption caused by a breathing disorder during sleep, in the cognitive and language development of children at two years of age.
It was found that Babies who slept less than 12 hours a day (that is, within 24 hours of one), had a poorer cognitive and language development Upon reaching two years of age, compared to those who had more hours of sleep a day.
Similarly, it was found that nighttime sleep hours had a greater impact on their development, compared to the hours of sleep that happened during the day. In addition, it was found that children who had persistent breathing disorders during sleep had a lower performance in their language assessments, although in cognitive development there would be no differences.
let's remember the recommendations of the American Sleep Association About the rest hours for babies and children according to their age:
- Babies from 4 to 12 months: 12-16 hours.
- Children from 1 to 2 years: 11-14 hours.
- Children 3 to 5 years: 10-13 hours.
- Children 6 to 12 years: 9-12 hours.
- Children 13 to 18 years: 8-10 hours.
Just as food, hygiene and physical activity are important for the healthy growth of babies and children, we try to always respect the rest hours they need so that it does not affect their development.
