Do you get enough sleep?  What about your kids?  The average person spends approximately one third of their life sleeping.  The Lord designed the body to need rest.  We forget how wonderfully we’ve been created, but God knew the body needed recovery through sleep.  Not all Christian believers think God has designed us this way, and often become sleep deprived.

A lack of sleep plays a role in our stressed out society, and abuses God’s creation.  We get caught up in a cultural resistance to sleep and think it is not important.  With the lack of understanding on the importance of sleep, people wish our bodies didn’t  have to sleep so much and consider it a waste of time.  Lack of sleep affects our adrenal glands, which are chiefly responsible for releasing hormones in response to stress.  This in turn increases our anxiety levels.

People who constantly run on less than six hours of sleep a night can face serious consequences to their health.  Besides what it does to our adrenal glands, it is proven that sleep deprivation is a factor in memory loss.  This is because our brain cells do not have a chance to renew themselves.  It is one reason why teenagers need at least nine hours or more of sleep a night in order to learn and do well in school.  Studies reflect a 35% decrease in performance in students who are sleep deprived, but normally do very well with proper sleep.  Infants and toddlers require a greater amount of sleep than teens, because they are learning and developing at a very quick rate.  Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is linked to adolescents who do not get enough sleep.

Many parents today are busy and distracted to recognize what the lack of sleep may be doing to them and their children.  Lack of sleep affects our relationship with others, because when people do not get enough sleep it causes irritability.  It is best to create good sleep habits when your child is young.  Your child learns a great deal by your actions, so it is imperative that you set a good example with your own sleep habits.

Here are some ways to prepare and provoke good sleep habits for you and your child:

  • Switch off all stimulating electronics at least one hour before bedtime (cell phones, TV, computer, etc.)
  • Take a family walk and engage in nature in the early evening.
  • Do not use going to bed early as a consequence or punishment for your child.
  • Be mindful of food intake, especially sugar, in the evening hours.
  • Create a family ritual at bedtime like journal writing, storytelling, reading scripture.
  • Encourage your child to externalize their fears to prevent night terrors or nightmares.
  • Darken their room.  Lights out for at least nine hours.

We may think we are getting more accomplished in our busy lives by depriving ourselves of sleep.  However, just the opposite is true.  We are so much more productive when we get six to nine hours of sleep each night.  To be a healthy person physically, emotionally, and spiritually, we need the amount of sleep that God has designed for our bodies.  When our bodies and brains are properly rested, we can function as God has intended and live a complete life in Christ.  Try it and see how you feel the next day after getting a good night’s sleep.  Good Night!

Author: Trace Embry is the Founder of Shepherd’s Hill Ministries. He hosts the License To Parent radio program. For over a decade, Shepherd’s Hill Ministries has helped struggling teens through its residential program and Christian boarding school, Shepherd’s Hill Academy located on an 86-acre property in Georgia. Call 706-779-5766 for more information, or join us on Facebook.  This blog was inspired by the recent License To Parent with Trace Embry broadcast with Dr. Archibald Hart.  You can learn more about the importance of sleep in Dr. Hart’s book, “Sleep, it Does a Family Good.”