Sleeping

Children’s getting a lack of sleep is apparently not a new thing. According to new studies published in the journal Pediatrics which looked at 32 sets of data regarding sleep recommendations and actual sleep time between the years 1897 to 2009, “on average, children actually slept 0.73 minute less every year”.  The data concludes that throughout this time period, children have been getting around 37 minutes less than the recommended amount of sleep, which is between 10-11 hours for 5-12 year olds. It has been suggested in recent years that sleep patterns of children has shown that a lack of sleep can lead to obesity, lack of memory and aggressive behavior.

Read the full story on The Wall Street Journal

My apartment's paper-thin walls are becoming a problem. Now, as a beijing-kids editor and someone who's fond of children, I should probably be more sympathetic to the new parents in the apartment next to mine – but that baby had better start sleeping though the night or I’m going to go crazy.

I guess I’ve been spoiled because I come from an especially sleepy (some might say lazy) family. During my brother’s teenage years we used to tease him for his perpetual sleepy eyes and requests for “five more minutes” to recover in the morning. Well, it seems like he’s having the last laugh now that he’s become a father because is sleepy disposition has been passed onto his daughter Rosie.

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