School going children are curious about the adult world and may, therefore, want to stay awake to witness it. They may find it hard to fall asleep or may wake up repeatedly during night time. This bedtime resistance may be due to many reasons. One of the major reasons for the above is additives. Certain types of additives cause sleep disturbances in children as well as adults. A scientifically proven additive present in most fizzy drinks is Caffeine. Three cans of fizzy drinks filled with caffeine are equal to a regular espresso. As the French essayist, Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin said in 1825: “It is the duty of all mamas and papas to forbid their children to drink coffee, unless they wish to have little dried up machines, stunted and old, at the age of twenty”, but many parents who obey this warning are unaware of the caffeine available in fast food and soft drinks.
Lack of sleep can also contribute to obesity. When we sleep leptin hormone is released in our body. This hormone reduces hunger. But poor sleepers have decreased levels of leptin. The increased time of being wakeful may make the child may fill time with calories. And as mentioned in other articles lack of outdoor play also contributes to sleep disturbances as the body is not tired enough to increase the quality of sleep. Other reasons for sleep disturbances are emotional difficulties and anxiety. Emotional problems are the most difficult to solve. But we can begin by establishing a routine. Be it for sleep or meal times.
