Every parent is aware of the fact that naps are generally a necessary part of raising children. Of course every parent has their own opinion as to how often, and when children should take naps, but new parents often are faced with the question of how long exactly their child should be sleeping during their naps.
Naps are necessary to our biology, and there is generally much similarity in the manner in which parents structure their child’s naptime. For example, in regards to infants, they often sleep in between feedings. In a biological sense, infants are geared toward sleeping at this time simply because of the amount of energy that is taken up simply by growing so quickly. Among older babies, once parents are able to establish a more fixed routine or schedule, they tend to wake up early, take two naps, one mid-morning and one mid-afternoon, and go to bed during the early evening. Around the first year of their life, two naps eventually turn into one, at which time the child takes either a late morning or mid-afternoon nap.
By the time children begin going to school, they start to fight this remaining nap. It is at this point that decisions that parents make tend to vary from either giving up naptime all together or trying to continue the routine. Depending upon the naptime routine that takes place at the school, sometimes the parent’s decision is made for them.
According to pediatrician of sleep medicine at the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, Dr. Judith Owens, by the time children turn 5 years old, nearly 80% have given up taking a nap, which leads only one in five children still taking a daily nap. Owens also points out that children who are still taking a nap each day should make sure they are awake by three o’ clock in the afternoon in order to have enough time to play and build up enough motivation to be able to get to sleep at night at a decent hour.
Professor of pharmacology from the University of Zurich, Dr. Alexander A. Borbely, conducted a two-part theory of sleep during the later half of the 1980’s. Borbely noted that there are two different types of processes of sleep. Most people are familiar with the circadian process which relies primarily on linking the sleep schedule to waking hours along with the schedule of light and dark. Then there is the homeostatic process which builds sleep up among the pressure in an individual. In other words, the longer we are awake and busy, the easier it will be for our bodies to fall asleep when we’re ready. Sleep pressure is able to be measured with an EEG.
Napping occurs because children’s sleep homeostasis is much faster and their sleep pressure increases faster. They are therefore not as tolerant to staying awake for long periods.
Sleep scientist from the University of Colorado, Dr. Monique LeBourgeois, recently conducted a study which tracked cortisol levels of which large bursts are released after people wake up in the morning. Results of her study revealed that children desperately need the few naps that they have.
Children that are sleep deprived have difficulty coping with challenges of our daily lives. If children even skip one nap, we are left with decreased cognitive commitment and more negativity.
Reference:
Meredith Canales. 2011. There’s more to a child’s nap than just free time for mom.