Why Irregular Bedtime Habits Can Have Serious Consequences For Our Kids

   By SheSpeaksTeam  Jul 14, 2013

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For many children, summer hours are vastly different from the hours they keep during the school year. But there is some new research emerging that may be good reason to refrain from straying too far from their regular bedtime routine each night.

A new study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health analyzes the bedtime habits of children ages 3, 5 and 7. Researchers found that kids with the most irregular bedtimes from night to night were 3 year olds with children age 7 getting tucked into the most regular routine between the hours of 7:30 and 8:30pm.

Researchers found that kids who followed irregular bedtimes scored lower on tests and had much lower reading, math and spatial-awareness scores. Three year olds seem to be impacted the most from wonky bedtime routines which is troubling to scientists in regards to their long term brain development.

Professor of lifecourse studies at University College London Amanda Sacker is quoted in a CBS News report saying, “Age three seems to be where you see the largest effect and that is a concern. If a child is having irregular bedtimes at a young age, they're not synthesising all the information around them at that age, and they've got a harder job to do when they are older. It sets them off on a more difficult path.”

What do you think of the new study suggesting children who have irregular bedtime routines tend to score lower on tests?

Do your kids go to bed at the same time every night or do they tend to change from day to day?