Friday, November 2, 2012

Is the Telly Keeping Your Child Up?

It might help them fall asleep easier, and I could sure use the break at night,” is an excuse often used by parents when talking about turning on the television for their little ones at bedtime.While it is easier than reading a bedtime story, studies have shown that it is actually counterproductive. Dennis Rosen, M.D, a pediatric pulmonologist and sleep specialist, said on www.psychologytoday.com, “The noise, the light, the content: all of these likely play a role in disrupting the ability to fall and to stay asleep.” Although many doctors and specialists suggest not letting children have televisions in their bedroom, the rates of that advice being discarded are rising. A recent study showed that 70% of third graders did have a TV in their bedroom (www.nytimes.com)- that is more than two-thirds!

Among many of the mental and physical problems that do accompany having a bedroom TV, sleeping disorders and daytime tiredness are towards the top of the list.Being unusually tired throughout the day will also have a negative impact on the child’s ability to carry out and perform daily activities and schoolwork. Seattle Children’s published a study where they found that children were more likely to have trouble falling asleep, have more nightmares, and more awakenings if in the 1 hour prior to going to bed, they watched TV in their bedroom (www.seattlechildrens.org). So despite the parents’ effort to have a more peaceful tuck-in, they are actually setting themselves up for a long, disrupted night’s sleep. If children have a TV in their bedroom it could greatly increase the amount of time it takes for them to fall asleep,which will inevitably lead to them getting out of their bed multiple times before they actually go to bed. A simple solution to decreasing these complications is to eliminate the televisions in the bedrooms, and instead try singing a lullaby or reading a fairytale to wind down for the night.

Start this following video at 1:27:


 FHPublishing. "Television and Childhood Obesity." YouTube. SuperSizedKids, 21 Aug. 2008. Web. 6 Nov. 2012.
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2 comments:

  1. Ben PeadenNovember 12, 2012 at 4:53 PM

    Television is fast paced and encourages a low attention span. (http://www.pediatricsdigest.mobi/content/120/3/532.short) This might be one reason television causes children to not sleep as well. However, if this is the case and children watch television within the hour before going to bed, it might be irrelevant whether the TV is in the bedroom or another room. People in general often watch movies and television at night, before sleeping. This probably effects all people's ability to sleep.

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  2. UnknownNovember 13, 2012 at 2:04 PM

    The reason that watching television in the bedroom is sometimes worse than just watching it in general is parents can't regulate what the kids watch as much. Parents have less control on the amount of time they watch as well. It is easy for parents to get carried away in daily activities and not monitor how long their child has been watching television. Thanks for you comment!

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