How To Stop Cellphones & Electronic Gadgets From Keeping Your Child Awake at Night

With the current rate of technological advancement, children are getting to know how to use electronic devices even better than adults some times. It is a well known fact that children are exposed to their phones, TV screens, laptop and iPad gadgets most times without appropriate supervision. It is not enough to say that they are properly monitored by their parents or by an adult. There must be rules set in place to regulate the appropriate times children are allowed to use these devices.

Smart phones, tablets and computers may be used during the day but at night they can have a bad impact on sleep. Results of a CNN study revealed that use of electronic devices at bedtime can be damaging to the sleep patterns of children. The report emphasizes that there is indeed a strong link between bedtime media device use and excessive daytime sleepiness, which makes it difficult for children to focus well during school.

Effects Of Gadget Use After Bed time

• The Bright Screen Light Effect

Neuroscientists have discovered that bright screen lights from computer devices decrease melatonin (hormone that regulates sleep) which in turn affects the body’s sleep/wake cycles. So if your child is using their cellphone at night their ability to sleep will be decreased.

• Sleep Deprivation Affects Health Too

“The trend of sleep deprivation is leading to many daytime  problems  for teenagers, including headaches, impaired concentration, weakened immune systems, crankiness and more,” says Dr. Myrza Perez,Pediatric Pulmonologist in Roseville. Anxiety disorders and even obesity have been linked to sleep deprivation.

Sleep deprivation can cause a lot of damage to a developing child’s brain.  Sleep allows the brain to break down information that’s being received. Learning actually takes place while we sleep. When sleep is disturbed the ability to learn is reduced. How can parents help their children to beat the habit of excessive gadget use at bedtime and enable them get the required amount of sleep at night? Here are a few tips:

1. Establish rules of computer or cellphone use with your child.

2. Teens need about 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night to function optimally.  If your teen understands the importance of sleep, they may be willing to drop the phones so that they can function better.

3. This might be daunting and greeted with resistance at first, but have your children develop a habit of switching off their phones at night and turning in their laptops to their parents’ room or study for the night.

4. If one wishes to be more trusting, you can monitor your child’s Internet activity every morning to know if they are complying with the rules of “no gadgets after bedtime”.