Study: Putting Kids To Bed Early Means Better Mental Health… For Mom

‘Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man, healthy wealthy and wise’, we have grown up listening to this old adage and also believing it. However, recent studies have shown that when kids retire to bed early, not only do they have a better lifestyle, but their mothers too improve on their mental health.

Shutterstock

Jon Quach, fellow researcher at the ‘Murdoch Children’s Research Institute’ in Melbourne, Australia, said “So mums and dads, getting kids to bed early is not just great for them. It’s good for you, too.” The time which they consider as ‘‘early to bed’’ is 8.30pm.

In another independent observation by Dr. Wendy Sue Swanson, a paediatrician from Seattle and writer of the Seattle Mama Doc blog, says

“That’s a very typical bedtime for early school age kids, whose level of melatonin — the hormone that helps the brain chill out and fall asleep — tends to peak around 8 o’clock at night”. She also said, “We know that sleep is a really relevant part of our mental health, our mood. We know in kids, it’s related to behavioral [issues] and the ability to self-control. When we think about mom, it makes a lot of sense to me that if kids are early to bed, mom is going to wind down, get things done and feel like things are under control.”

This report was based on interviews of parents and children during the ‘Growing Up in Australia’ observation beginning in 2004. The study included a huge number of families of the country and followed up with those families every two years. The study began with children of 4 to 5 years age, two years later they were 6 to 7 years old and then it was conducted when they became 8 to 9 old.

The research found that the time when kids go to bed is the important factor and the duration of their sleep does not count much. In 2015, the report was shared at the ‘Sleep DownUnder’ conference.

Now you know one of the greatest secret to your kids’ health and yours too. Share and let your family and friends know about it.