Ever wonder why some kids seem to have it all together while others struggle with meltdowns and tantrums? The secret might be simpler than you think: children bedtimes!
A recent study from Penn State College of Health and Human Development and Penn State College of Medicine has discovered that sticking to a consistent bedtime routine can work wonders for children’s emotional and behavioral regulation.
Why Consistency Matters
Published on November 8 in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, this study suggests that a regular bedtime for children might be more critical than the quality or length of sleep when it comes to how they manage their emotions and behavior.
The research, led by Adwoa Dadzie, a doctoral student in biobehavioral health, and Orfeu Buxton, the Elizabeth Fenton Susman Professor of Biobehavioral Health, analyzed data from 143 six-year-olds who participated in the INSIGHT study at Penn State.
The findings? Kids who went to bed at the same time every night showed better emotional control and behavior, especially when stressed or interacting with others.
The INSIGHT Study
The INSIGHT study isn’t new. Back when these children were newborns, their mothers received training in responsive parenting—responding to a child’s needs in a warm, timely, and consistent way.
This training has already been linked to better sleep and reduced obesity in children. Now, this latest analysis highlights even more benefits, particularly in sleep timing.
Dadzie explains, “Children who had consistent bedtimes were generally able to regulate their behavior and emotions. On the other hand, children whose bedtimes and sleep times were all over the place showed more impulsivity and less control.”
How Did They Measure This?
To gather data, the children wore monitors on their wrists for a week. These devices tracked various sleep aspects: when they fell asleep, woke up, the midpoint of their sleep, how well they stayed asleep, and total sleep time.
Researchers then compared this data to the children’s performance on tasks designed to test their response to frustration. Imagine this: A child chooses a toy, but it’s locked in a clear box. They get a set of keys, none of which unlock the box.
For four minutes, researchers observe how the child reacts—do they try each key, or do they throw them in frustration? The researchers also watched the children decorate a picture frame with their parents, noting whether they cooperated or acted out.
The Results
Here’s what they found: The more the children’s bedtime varied, the worse they were at regulating their behavior and emotions. For instance, when children bedtime varied by 20 minutes each night, those children showed more self-regulation than the ones whose bedtime varied by two hours over the week.
Buxton notes, “It’s amazing. Parenting matters. When parents establish clear structures and respond to their child’s needs appropriately, children have better outcomes in weight regulation and behavior—even years later.”
Responsive Parenting: A Game-Changer
Between 2012 and 2014, the INSIGHT study recruited families with firstborn infants for a childhood obesity prevention intervention. Families were split into two groups: a control group that received information about child safety and an intervention group that learned about responsive parenting.
Parents in the responsive group learned to respond to different infant states like fussiness and alertness and how to establish routines around food, sleep, and behavior regulation.
The result? Through the first three years of their lives, children in the responsive parenting group had lower body mass indices (BMIs) than those in the control group.
The Bigger Picture
When these children turned six, they returned for more evaluation. This current study on bedtime and behavior used data from that visit. Dadzie emphasizes, “The results clearly indicated that sleep regularity is important for prosocial and age-appropriate behavior in children.”
But what if you’re a parent working evenings and can’t always be there for bedtime?
Buxton reassures, “Every parent can establish clear standards and routines for their children. They can respond appropriately and promptly to children’s needs. We now have eight years of research on the INSIGHT project demonstrating that when parents are responsive to their children, they raise healthier children.”
The Team Behind the Research
This significant research involved many experts, including Lindsay Master, Emily Hohman, Ian Paul, Jennifer Savage Williams, Erika Hernandez Acton, Sara Tauriello, and Stephanie Anzman-Frasca.
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, and the Children’s Miracle Network at Penn State Children’s Hospital supported this research.
Conclusion
So, what’s the takeaway? If you’re a parent, consider establishing a consistent bedtime for your child. It might just be the key to unlocking better behavior and emotional regulation.
And remember, even if you can’t always be there for bedtime, setting clear routines and consisten children bedtimes and responding to your child’s needs can make a world of difference. Your child’s future self might just thank you for it.