Counting Sheep and Deep Sleep: The Importance of Rest in the Preschool Years

While they might not know it, and it may feel like they resist sleep at every turn, preschoolers do need a lot of rest. In fact, during the ages of 3-5 your child needs around 10-13 hours over a 24-hour period. As adults, we are often lucky to get 6 or 7 hours! But there are very specific reasons that children this age need a lot of sleep, and they don’t differ much from the reasons that adults need to be catching more zzz’s:

Improved Attention

The brain fog a preschooler gets when they don’t have their 10-13 hours is very similar to the one you might get when you don’t sleep enough (or get enough caffeine). And it isn’t just the quantity that counts, but the quality.

Learning and Memory

Your preschooler going to school without adequate sleep is the same as you trying to concentrate in a business meeting while exhausted. You won’t retain any of the information and neither will they.

Mental and Physical Health

Children who don’t get enough sleep are at risk for depression, obesity, and high blood pressure.

Neural Development

Numerous studies show how sleep plays an important part in cognitive and neurological development.

Getting enough quality sleep is truly one of the most important things a human being can do for their body. It is just very unlikely that your preschooler understands that. But like you have to explain how vegetables and healthy eating make their bodies strong, it’s just as crucial to discuss how sleep does too!

How can you convey the importance of sleep to your nap or bedtime-resistant child?

Common Sense

A little bit of reasoning using cause and effect logic to relay the importance of getting some shut eye can be a good strategy. Catch your preschooler on a day where they feel good, have lots of energy and are happy. Discuss how one of the reasons they feel so good is that they got enough restful sleep the night before. They may be more inclined to follow their bedtime if they know that it makes them happier and more energetic.

Conversely, on days they didn’t get enough rest the night before, you can link their irritability and lack of energy to not getting enough sleep. Perhaps knowing how much harder school, and even playing with their friends will be if they don’t get enough rest might help enforce nap or bedtime. Explaining how their actions (in this case taking a nap or being more willing to adhere to bedtime) can affect their mood and behavior may help drive the point home.

Be a Restful Role Model

Role modeling could help as well. If the family demonstrates healthy sleeping habits, it is more likely that your child will integrate that behavior. Going to bed and waking up on a schedule, instituting a quiet period of about 30-60 minutes before bed, and reducing screen time will model healthier habits and get your preschooler the rest they need. It might even start your whole family on a healthier path.

If you have concerns about your child’s sleeping habits including restlessness, nightmares, breathing or other medical issues, consult your pediatrician for some guidance. There is very little that is more important for your child’s health than good, quality sleep.

Here’s to some good nights!