Mick's Up in a Search

Monday, November 7, 2011

Mick’s up with the Time Change

OK.  I have to say it.  I am jealous of those people who do not have to deal with the time change.  I need consistency.  It’s my personality trait.  My body likes routine.
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The good side of this season’s time change is that we “fall back,” meaning I can get back into the habit of early-to-rise.

Even though we parents have pity parties, because kidderz wake up earlier in the morning, I feel even more badly for kidderz, because they are getting really tired by bedtime, since it is actually past bedtime. 

I’m an advocate for the importance of children getting the correct amount of sleep each night, for their physical and mental health and development.  What do the experts say about children's sleep needs?

The National Sleep Foundation provides the following recommendations on children's sleep:
•Toddlers (1-3 years): 12-14 hours of sleep in a 24-hour period (including naps)
•Preschoolers (3-5 years): 11-13 hours per night
•School-age (5-12 years): 10-11 hours of sleep per night

The Central Nervous System, which controls every function in the body, is the only system that does not slow down during sleep.  This means it can use this time to heal.  Proper sleep position is imperative.  Consult your chiropractor for more information.

Other interesting science behind sleep can be found in the article Healing Sleep:
“The science of sleep is still uncovering the mysteries of what ideally occupies one third of our lives. Sleep research has mapped out the phases of sleep, from the light, dreaming phase (rapid eye movement, or REM) to the deeper phases in which critical replenishing takes place. We are beginning to understand some of those processes and speculating on others:
  • REM sleep may be tied to healing brain functions like memory and mental acuity, and may help in the formation of new nerve cells in the brain.
  • The body produces human growth hormone during the deepest sleep phase. HGH is responsible for helping us absorb nutrients and amino acids, healing tissues and stimulating bone marrow to produce immune system cells.  (Also, as mentioned in Mick's in the Age Factor , HGH works as an anti-aging hormone.)
  • During sleep, we produce melatonin, which helps us sleep better, inhibits the growth of tumors, stimulates the immune system and guards against viral infections, increases the antibodies in saliva and confers antioxidant benefits (which reduces the effects of oxidative stress throughout the body).”

With that said, I am on my way to a great night’s sleepNight-night.  Sleep tight.  Don’t let the bed bugs bite!


Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.
In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat —  for he grants sleep to those he loves.  Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from him.
Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth.
Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.”

~

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