Sleep patterns make kids smarter

Children who have a regular bedtime do better academically, claims a new study, giving another reason why parents should ensure their children go to bed early and at the same time every night. that children who had a fixed sleep timing are likely to perform better at reading, languages and maths than those who had erratic sleeping habits. The scientists also found that the earlier a child went to bed, the better they performed at school.

Paediatricians can easily promote regular bedtimes with parents and children, behaviours, which in turn lead to healthy sleep." For their study, the researchers collected information about the sleeping time of the participating children, when they were only nine months old. The practice was repeated again when the children were four years old.

Then the researchers carried out a developmental analysis of the subjects and found that having a regular bedtime was the most consistent predictor of positive developmental outcomes. Scores for receptive and expressive language, phonological awareness, literacy and early math abilities were higher in children whose parents reported having rules about what time their child goes to bed. Children who had an earlier bedtime also had a predictive of higher scores for most developmental measures, they found.

10 Quick Stress Relievers

While overall, long-term stress management is important, there are some times when you are particularly stressed out and you really need to take care of it right away, before your body's "fight or flight" mechanism is triggered and you're awash in adrenaline. Below I've listed ten ideas that are nearly all free, and many can be done at work, where you're most likely to be stressed.


1. Put on some music and dance. Or, if you're commuting in your car, put the music on and sing along.
2. Listen to recorded nature sounds (if you can't get to real ones) like ocean waves, a mountain stream or a rain storm. This is one of my favorite ways to de-stress. When I'm having a particularly stressful day at work, I put on the headphones and listen to my mountain stream cd. In this series of videos on YouTube, you can watch and listen to ocean waves on a beautiful beach in Hawaii. Or you can check out this DVD series if you want better quality.
3. Exercise. Exercise is one of the best stress busters around, and it's free. Go for a walk, and walk as briskly as you can. Take the stairs at work and get your lunch somewhere that's at least a couple of blocks away.
4. Do some deep breathing. When my stress is particularly high, I tend to hold my breath and breathe shallowly. This video is helpful, although if you're at work, be aware that you really need to hear what she's saying. This video has subtitles.
5. Try progressive muscle relaxation or stretching. Stretching gets your blood flowing. I like this 8 Minute Stretch video . I also use Stretch Break at work.
6. Do self-massage or self-reflexology . I find that working on your own hands and feet is the easiest, and the most effective.
7. Laugh. Watch, listen to or read something that you know will make you chuckle. Your cell phone is a great place to keep these "portable" stress relief tools. I keep a video of my son laying on his back trying to put his shoes on when he was two.
8. Take a quick nap (also known as a Power Nap ). Sleep is one of the most powerful healing agents there is, so even if you think you're not sleepy, give it a shot.
9. Watch fish swim in an aquarium. One reason that so many doctors' and dentists' offices have aquariums is that they've been shown to relieve stress. If you don't have an aquarium, you can watch a DVD or get a screensaver .
10. Try aromatherapy. Origins' Peace of Mind is a good choice, or you can use lavender essential oil. Massage a small amount into your temples and breathe deeply.