At Tatty Bumpkin, in our kid’s Yoga activity classes which combine activity with chances for relaxation, we aim to support children, and their families, to:
- Bring more activity into their day - by making activity fun!
- Become more ‘aware’ of their body and what it needs to keep healthy.
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| Baby Bumpkin Class - wriggling on the floor! |
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| Enjoying sensory play in a Tatty Bumpkin holiday club |
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| Actively stirring 'porridge' in a Tatty Bumpkin class. |
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| Relaxing after activity .... |
The importance of sleep is poorly understood but it is increasingly becoming a ‘hot topic’ of research.
Recent adult sleep studies have connected poor sleep to obesity. An Oxford research team conducted a study on over 100,000 women and found a possible link between increased levels of light in the bedroom and obesity (1).
Other studies have found that both children and adults, who are obese, have increased incidence of sleep apnea (A disorder where the person's breathing pattern is interrupted for more than 10 seconds whilst they are asleep.) Sleep apnea can lead to ‘daytime drowsiness’, which in turn makes it harder for the individual to exercise during the day.
An American research team, led by Dr Van Cauter, have conducted series of studies on the effect of sleep on the overall health and wellbeing in adults. Their studies suggest that people who do not have enough sleep tend to eat more, possibly as a result of changing hormonal levels in the body (2).
Sleep and Children
Now researchers are investigating the effect of sleep on children’s overall well-being - especially the effect of sleep on their physical health and their ability to learn.
A recent study by an Australian research team,led by Dr Christopher A. Magee, has found that children who regularly had too little sleep experienced worse physical, emotional and social health than those who slept the average amount (3).
This research team began their study in 2004. They asked almost 3,000 parents to record their children’s sleep patterns, health, and general quality of life at four points between birth and seven years of age.
The parents were asked to:
1. Complete sleep journals for their children
2. Answer questions about their children's sleep patterns
3. Answer questions concerning their children’s health, wellbeing and cognitive functioning i.e.
- How often their children had found it hard to wake up?
- How often their children had felt ‘sad?
- How often their children had had problems socialisin?
- How often their children had missed school due to illness?
Firstly, the researchers identified four ‘sleep’ groups based on the children’s sleep patterns:
1. "Typical sleepers.” These children slept the most as infants, about 14 hours, and then gradually decreased their sleep times up to age of seven,. At this age they got an average of almost 11 hours per night. 40% of children fell into this group.
2. "Persistent short sleepers." This group of children also tended to sleep less as they got older, but they always got about an hour less sleep than the ‘typical sleepers’. 11% of kids were in this group.
3. "Initially short sleepers." Children in this group started out like the ‘short sleepers’, but by the time they were five or six years old they seemed to be getting as much sleep as the ‘typical sleepers’. 45% of kids were in this group.
4. “Poor sleepers.” These children started like the ‘short sleepers’, sleeping less than 10 hours per night as babies, but then gradually increased their sleep with time. Only 3% of children were in this group.
Then, after thorough analysis of the results, the researchers concluded that:
- Those children with 'typical sleep' patterns had better health outcomes than those children who fell within the other three categories.
- 'Poor' and 'initially short' sleepers tended to have a lower physical functioning score on the quality of life scale than 'typical' sleepers.
- 'Persistent short' sleepers also had the physical disadvantage, as well as lower emotional and social functioning scores.
- "Sleep is important for a lot of reasons, it can influence health and well-being and cognitive functioning…
- Sleep influences a child's development because they are more fatigued during the day and this can adversely impact on their learning ability..
- Children who sleep less, engage in more screen time because they are tired and less motivated to be active and this can have an impact on the child's physical and emotional well-being over time. It's a cascading effect."
- A healthy diet
- Increased activity
- Limiting television and screen use, especially near bedtime.
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| Learning to 'wind down' and relax .... |
Tatty Bumpkin Ltd offer Kids Yoga Activity Classes and parties in nurseries, private venues and schools for babies and children 0-7 years.
Tatty Bumpkin is a unique, creative developmental programme inspired by yoga, and developed by Paediatric Physiotherapists, Educationalists, Musicians and Yoga teachers. Our multi-sensory story classes are operated in nurseries, schools, parties, holiday clubs and centres nationally by our lovely team who were all looking for a more flexible approach to working.
Find out more about your local Tatty Bumpkin classes at http://www.tattybumpkin.com/classes/find-class.html
Or, find out how you could be trained to deliver Tatty Bumpkin classes in your area at http://www.tattybumpkin.com/business/index.html.
1. McFadden E, Jones M. E. et al. 2014.The Relationship Between Obesity and Exposure to Light at Night: Cross-Sectional Analyses of Over 100,000 Women in the Breakthrough Generations Study. Am. J. Epidemiol. http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2014/05/29/aje.kwu117.short?rss=1
2. Spiegel K, Leproult R, Van Cauter E. 1999. Impact of a sleep debt on metabolic and endocrine function. The Lancet, 354: 1435-1439. http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673699013768/abstract
3. Magee. C. A, Gordan. R, Caputi. P. 2014. Distinct Developmental Trends in Sleep Duration During Early Childhood. Pediatrics. http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2014/05/14/peds.2013-3806.abstract
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