NASHVILLE, Tenn. -
A Mid-State doctor weighs in and offers advice to parents who believe their child may not be getting enough sleep each night.
Previous studies have found that sleep deprivation in children is linked to asthma, weight gain and risky behavior in teens.
Dr. Paul Hain with the Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt told Nashville's News 2 that many parents do not know the signs of a sleep deprived child.
According to Hain, toddlers require 10 to 11 hours of sleep, while school-age children need nine to 10 hours of sleep and teenagers need eight hours of sleep each night.
"Your six-year-old and your nine-year-old [children] if they're getting their recommended 10 to 11 hours of sleep, they ought to be able to pop out of bed at about the time they're ready to go in the morning," Hain said.
He continued, "[Children's] rhythm shifts towards late night, so teenagers tend to just hormonally and rhythmically want to stay up later and get up later."
Some school districts in Minnesota and Texas have found that starting high school classes later help students perform better.
Researchers have also found that in addition to a set routine at bedtime parents should remove TV's from bedrooms and keep bedtime rules on the weekends.
"Younger kids really need to stay on a routine. Now they can sleep in a little bit, but that means being the bad guy sometimes and saying, 'Look, I know it's Friday night. I know it's Saturday night but your bed time is still 8 p.m.,'" Hain said.
