My name is Fujiwara, and I am a child psychologist working on the issues of truancy and withdrawal from school. I am currently an advisor to ToCo, Inc. where I focus on the factors that cause continued truancy and help children to return to school again. Today, I would like to talk about the first of the “4 risks you should know about to prevent truancy,” the risk related to “inadequate sleep.
Insufficient sleep or poor sleep quality is a major factor in the risk of truancy. Sleep is essential to a child’s physical and mental development, and any imbalance can seriously affect academics, relationships, and most importantly, a child’s motivation and confidence. This paper will consider in detail the background of this risk and how to prevent it.
CONTENTS.
- Relationship between sleep and truancy
- Finally.
Relationship between sleep and truancy
1. The Importance of “Sleep” in Children
Sleep in childhood plays an even more important role than in adulthood. During sleep, the brain not only organizes stimuli received during the day and consolidates information into memory, but is also involved in the body’s growth and maintenance of immunity. Because growth hormones are actively secreted at night, children in elementary and junior high school can suffer both physical and mental health problems if they do not get enough sleep.
However, in many cases, today’s children are not getting “enough sleep. The reasons for this vary, but the main reasons are as follows
The impact of digital devices is particularly significant. When smartphones and tablets are used at night, blue light keeps the brain awake and prevents falling asleep. As a result, children are regularly staying up late, making it difficult for them to get up the next morning and attend school.
2. the effects of inadequate sleep on truancy
Not getting enough sleep can have the following effects on children
Mood instability
Lack of sleep directly affects the part of the brain that controls emotions, making them more irritable and pessimistic. This may lead to more relationship problems in school.
Decreased concentration and memory
This can lead to poor academic performance and cause feelings of “not wanting to go to school.
Physical discomfort
Sleep deprivation decreases the immune system and makes the body more susceptible to physical illness. If this is repeated, a pattern of “I miss school because I feel sick” will form, leading to a decrease in motivation to attend school.
Disruption of daily rhythm
Once the rhythm of daily life is disrupted, it is difficult to restore it. If staying up late and turning the day and night around become a habit, getting up in the morning becomes painful, and the risk of truancy increases dramatically.
Contemporary Issues Behind “Inadequate Sleep
1. the impact of smartphones and video games on children
Children today are surrounded by digital devices such as smartphones and video games. While not necessarily bad in and of themselves, they can cause sleep deprivation if not used properly and for the right amount of time. In particular, the following effects have been noted：
- Difficulty falling asleep due to nighttime use
Blue light from smartphones and tablets suppresses the secretion of melatonin (a hormone that induces sleepiness) in the brain. As a result, the state of wakefulness continues until late at night, making it difficult to fall asleep naturally. - Excited state due to overstimulation
Action games and social networking sites can cause children’s brains to become agitated. As a result, an increasing number of children find it difficult to fall asleep even after going to bed.
2. Family Nocturnal Lifestyle and Disrupted Rhythms of Life
When the entire family leads a nighttime lifestyle, children may be dragged into that rhythm as well. For example, watching TV until late at night or seeing their parents stay up late can make “staying up late” the norm for children. In such an environment, it becomes difficult to maintain a regular rhythm of life.
Specific Approaches to Prevent Inadequate Sleep
Given that inadequate sleep increases the risk of non-sleep, it is important to create a sleep environment and improve the rhythm of life in the home. Here are some specific approaches.
1. create a sleeping environment
It is important to create an environment in which children can relax and sleep.
- Review the lighting in the bedroom.
Switching to warm indirect lighting instead of fluorescent lighting before bedtime will help the brain relax. - Limit use of digital devices
It is effective to set a rule to refrain from using smartphones and tablets one hour before bedtime. It is also a good idea to set up a charging area in the living room and not allow children to bring their phones to their bedside. - Provide comfortable bedding.
Review the firmness and feel of mattresses and pillows, and select bedding that is appropriate for the child.
2. encourage a regular rhythm of life
Establishing a regular rhythm in your life will naturally improve the quality of your sleep.
- Exposure to the morning sun.
Exposure to sunlight after waking up resets the body clock and helps regulate the daily rhythm. - Consistent meal timing.
Eating a healthy breakfast will help your body switch to activity mode. Also, avoid eating late at night. - Fix bedtime and wake-up time.
It is important to ensure that sleeping hours do not differ greatly between weekdays and holidays.
3. help children learn the importance of sleep
When children themselves understand the importance of sleep, they will be more motivated to proactively improve their lives. It is also effective to use scientific data to convey the benefits of adequate sleep, such as “getting enough sleep improves concentration” and “better grades.
Finally.
The risk of “inadequate sleep” is one of those factors that tends to hide behind truancy, but actually has a very significant impact. By creating an environment in which children can get enough sleep and by reviewing their daily rhythm, the risk of truancy can be greatly reduced.
Sleep is the foundation for the body and mind. Mothers can help prevent truancy by reviewing their entire family’s lifestyle rhythm and creating an environment where children can rest in peace. Please start with a small step that you can take today.
| Keywords | Key Points | Action Needed |
|---|---|---|
| Insufficient Sleep | Insufficient sleep causes mood and concentration problems and disruption of the rhythm of life, and is a major factor in non-attendance. | Improve the quality of sleep by limiting the use of digital devices, establishing a regular lifestyle rhythm, and exposing students to the morning sun. |
| Effects of Sleep Deprivation | Sleep deprivation negatively affects academic performance and relationships, and increases the risk of truancy. | Share regular sleep habits throughout the family and create an environment where children can get adequate rest. |
| Effects of Digital Devices | Nighttime smartphone use interferes with sleep and may lead to a day/night cycle. | Limit the amount of time spent using smartphones and tablets, and establish the habit of not using digital devices one hour before bedtime. |
| Making the family more night-oriented | When the entire family leads a nighttime lifestyle, children are more likely to be affected by it. | The entire family should try to lead a regular lifestyle, and parents can be good role models for sleep habits. |
| Improvement of sleep quality | In addition to time, sleep quality is also important. Without the right environment and rhythm, adequate rest cannot be achieved. | Create a good environment in the bedroom and provide a dark and quiet space. Pay attention to bedding and lighting to support comfortable sleep. |
Related Articles
4 Risk factors for truancy: (1) Insufficient Sleep
4 Risk factors for truancy: (2) frequent absences from school
4 Risk factors for truancy: (3) Siblings who are truant
4 Risk factors for truancy: (4) Hypersensitivity to surroundings (HSP)
About us
We at ToCo provide a service that helps students to re-enter school in an average of 15 days. Based on our representative’s own experience, we launched this service in order to solve the difficulties that families struggling with truancy face in dealing with the problem and the tendency for school attendance to become intermittent.
Some of you may also be puzzled by the recent truancy services that charge hundreds of thousands of yen. Our service continues to offer the lowest price in the industry, while demonstrating through our track record that cost and effectiveness are not proportional. Please take a look at our service details.