– Dr. Tarun Singh is a Gurugram based paediatrician and consultant at Kalpavrish Healthcare, Delhi and Max Hospital, Gurugram

Late-night digital screen viewing, academic pressure, and irregular routines are robbing children of the rest they need, adversely affecting their health, well-being and learning outcomes

As parents, we ensure our children eat well, are physically active, and succeed in school. But what about sleep? In today’s fast-paced digital world, children’s sleep deprivation has become a silent epidemic. Late-night digital screen viewing, academic pressure, and irregular routines are robbing children of the rest they need, adversely affecting their health, well-being and learning outcomes.

If your child is irritable, forgetful, struggling with academics, and frequently taking ill, sleep debt could be the cause. In this essay, I explain sleep debt, its causes and how to prevent it.

What is sleep debt?
Sleep debt is the cumulative effect of missed sleep over time. If a child needs ten hours of sleep but only gets eight, she builds up two hours of sleep debt every night. Over a week, this adds up to 14 hours.

Unlike adults, children cannot adapt to chronic sleep loss. Instead, they become more hyperactive, emotional, and unfocused — sometimes mimicking symptoms of ADHD (Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder).

Recommended sleep
Toddlers (1-3 years): 11-14 hours
Pre-schoolers (3-5 years): 10-13 hours
School-age children (6-12 years): 9-12 hours
Teens (13-18 years): 8-10 hours
If your child is getting less than the recommended sleep consistently, she is accumulating sleep debt.

Why kids are losing sleep
Several modern lifestyle factors are depriving children of sleep. Among them:

Too much digital screen exposure before bedtime. Children are watching reels, playing video games, etc late into nights, reducing their sleeping hours. The blue light emanated by digital screens (phones, tablets, TVs) blocks melatonin, the sleep hormone. And watching stimulating content keeps the brain wired, making it harder for children to unwind.

Irregular sleep schedules. Children sleep late on weekends but wake up early on weekdays. This confuses the body’s internal clock. Moreover, when toddlers skip afternoon naps, it prompts fatigue, making it harder for them to fall asleep at night.

Packed schedules. Schoolwork, extracurricular activities, and tuition classes cut sleep hours. Many children sleep late due to unfinished homework after a long day.

Anxiety and stress. Children absorb stress from school, social media, and parental conflicts. These worries lead to sleep loss.

Sleep debt outcomes
Sleep loss doesn’t just cause tiredness, it adversely affects children in surprising ways. For instance:

Poor learning and memory. Adequate sleep improves memory and concentration. Sleep-deprived children are likely to struggle with academics, forget easily, and take longer to complete tasks.

Tantrums and emotional outbursts. Loss of sleep makes children more irritable, anxious, and moody. Many “behavioural issues” such as tantrums/defiance are prompted by tiredness, not bad behaviour.

Weakened immunity and frequent illness. The body fights infections during sleep. Children who don’t sleep enough often fall sick.

Increased risk of obesity and diabetes. Sleep regulates appetite hormones. Sleep-deprived children crave junk food, overeat, and put on weight. Sleep deprivation also increases the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes later in life.

Growth and development problems. The growth hormone is released during deep sleep. Chronic sleep deficiency impairs height and overall development in young children.

preventing accumulating sleep debt

Set fixed sleep timings. Decide on a bedtime and wake-up time based on your child’s age. Set a consistent bedtime and wake-up time — even on weekends.

Create a relaxing bedtime routine. Thirty-sixty minutes before bed, wind down with calming activities such as reading a book, listening to soft music, or a warm bath. Avoid stressful conversations before bed.

Proscribe screens before bedtime. Prohibit watching TV, video games, and mobile phones at least one hour before bed. Dim household lights to boost melatonin levels.

Encourage physical activity. Children who exercise daily sleep better. However, avoid high-energy activities before bedtime.

Make the bedroom a sleep haven. Keep the room dark, quiet, and cool (18-22°C is ideal). Remove distractions like TVs, bright lights, and noisy toys. Use blackout curtains or white noise machines if needed.

Watch out for sleep disorders. If your child snores loudly, has trouble breathing during sleep, or wakes up frequently, she may have a sleep disorder (sleep apnea). Consult a paediatrician if she is struggling to fall or remain asleep regularly, is excessively sleepy during the day and has frequent nightmares.

Parents tend to focus their attention on children’s exam scores, good behaviour, and health, but sleep is the foundation of all three. Well-rested children are happier, healthier, learn better, and behave better. It’s highly advisable for parents to stop normalizing sleep deprivation in children and make quality sleep a family priority.