By: Kristin Kite
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (UATV) – During daylight saving time, clocks are normally set forward from standard time during March and back again in November to make better use of natural daylight. This jump in time can affect a person’s sleep cycle and circadian rhythm. Children in particular have a harder time adjusting to the time change because of the disruption of their common schedule when they are developing. Sleep deprivation can lead to a mixture of behavior changes in children for up to several days.
Preschools and daycares are great examples of how people can measure the way young children are adapting to the time change as it happens all at once for every child in the same place. The director of Parkside Playschool in Fayetteville, Brigitte Seigel said there have to be some adjustments before they get back to a regular schedule with the children.
“I think that as far as the time change. That first week after the time change, you can tell a lot of kids are showing up an hour later than they normally do, or they’re really groggy. We end up serving lunch a little sooner because some kids are ready for their nap,” Seigel said.
Mood changes, eating habits, and energy levels all tie into the type of sleep someone is getting. These things can be mixed up quickly when the daylight outside starts to shift and schedules have to as well.
A simple infographic is provided based on research from medical studies, doctors teachers, and daycare workers.
Sleeping
Sleep directly impacts a baby’s physical and mental development, according to The National Sleep Foundation. Sleep is important for children because of the role it plays on developing young minds. Without an adequate amount of sleep, alertness will decrease as well as cognitive performance, learning, and memory. A poor amount of sleep can also relate to health conditions such as allergic rhinitis, anxiety, depression, or diabetes.
Tips to try and help with sleep can include:
- Turning off electronics at least one hour before bed.
- Putting on pajamas and brushing teeth. (Try to brush them before you start settling in to avoid bright lights and peppermint toothpaste that could wake you more).
- Reading a book, singing or humming a song, or taking a bath.
- Bringing something soft to bed like a stuffed animal, a favorite pillow or blanket.
“Some kids just don’t sleep well, and parents are up too. Sometimes kids aren’t feeling well, but usually with daylight savings, it’s everybody at once. Where the rest of the year it’s just a few kids here and there,” Seigel said.
Eating
Keeping babies adjusted to a feeding schedule can be a challenge, but a healthy routine will keep them on track. Someone breastfeeding a baby can do a very gentle schedule adjustment by starting a week before daylight saving and slowly progressing feeding times by 10 to 20 minutes a day. By the time the clocks get set, the baby will have little feeling of a change at all.
“Just adjust by 20 minutes each day,” Seigel said. “Friday night, Saturday night, Sunday night, adjust everything throughout the day feedings and naps. It’s a lot more gradual for the kids and their bodies adjust better, and then we don’t go through the crabbies.”
Behavior
Not all children react in the same way when their environment around them is shaken up. Depending on if a child loses an hour of sleep or gains an hour can disturb their mood in many ways.
An autistic child that might have a strict routine might be thrown off more from an extra hour of sleep. They might become more activated or anxious. A depressed teen might fall into a deeper slump after they are robbed of an hour of sleep.
Signs to look for lack of sleep could be:
- Irritability
- Fatigue
- difficulty remembering
- Stress
- Paranoia
- numerous naps
- weight fluctuation
Signs to look for excessive sleep could be:
- bed sores
- depression
- headaches
- disregard of hygiene
Whether someone gets too much sleep or not enough sleep it can change behavior, appearance and daily living. Looking for these signs in children around March and November can be a good checkpoint to look out for.