In the early hours of Sunday, October 28 the time in Spain is changed. The clocks are late, so at three in the morning, it is two o'clock again. We will have one more hour of sleep (But that will be for lucky parents who don't have small human alarm clocks at home).
This is a measure with which the European authorities ensure that we save energy even if not everyone agrees to that supposed saving. What we do agree with is that it affects us all and our children too. Therefore, we give you some tips to help children to adapt to winter time.
How does it affect children?
Unlike what happens with daylight saving time, in this October time change we gain an hour of sleep. If so, we will delay the clock one hour, so if the child normally wakes up at nine in the morning, for example, his "internal" clock will make him sleep the same hours as before, although now the clock will say It's eight o'clock.
As with adults, some children are not affected at all and others are caused by certain mild and transient disorders. upset the sleep-wake biorhythm.
Winter time
The effects of the time change in children are not so much about this "extra" sleep time of the weekend, but because of the new “Winter time” from now on.
It will be at night earlier, removing an hour of light in the afternoon, which entails in its own circadian rhythm. It dawns earlier and darkens before too, the afternoons after school now become much shorter, which can negatively influence mood and mood. The melancholy of winter ...
The first few days may feel a kind of mild jet lag, until they get used to the new schedule. In some children, sleep disturbances may occur, such as episodes of insomnia or nighttime awakening.
But the most complicated thing will be to get them to sleep earlier at night and overcome fatigue in the morning. So you have to arm yourself with patience and put them to bed a little earlier the first few nights to get sleep before and the next day it costs less early. These negative effects and mismatches normally disappear in three or four days.
It is essential with time change or without him sleeping the hours that we each need. A good quality of sleep will affect a better attitude to learn, it will have a better influence on our memory, on our quality of life and on our emotional regulation, regardless of our age.
Tips to help children overcome the time change
- Bed the child 15 minutes earlier than usual (ideally do it for three or four days before the time change)
- Also advance daily routines (dinner, bath, story time, etc ...)
- Give him a light dinner
- Avoid caffeinated drinks
- Perform physical exercise during the afternoon to "advance" your internal clock
- Preferably avoid long naps
- Avoid screens at bedtime
Photos | iStockphoto
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