The Sleep Blogger
Why the Sleep Blogger loves experts
Two sets of experts, two claims about the importance of sleep. One confirms what we instinctively know, while the other is so counter-intuitive that it could cause you to re-examine all your beliefs. Let’s take them from the top. According to the website of U.S. News & World Report:
Kids who had a consistent bedtime at the age of 4 scored higher on a number of tests, including some that measured literacy and math abilities. Earlier bedtimes and parental rules about keeping bedtime routines also were associated with higher scores on developmental measures.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine suggests that preschool children get at least 11 hours of sleep each night. Kids who got less than that had lower test scores, according to study author Erika Gaylor, a researcher with SRI International, a research institute in Menlo Park, Calif., and colleagues.
No surprise there. Children need lots of sleep. They also need structure and discipline. Most parents understand this, but some are vulnerable to the pleas of cute kids who want to stay up late to watch TV or play. Those parents now have science in their corner.
Then there was this article from MSNBC, which carried the headline “50 no-sweat ways to burn calories,” and which offered this suggestion at No. 3:
Sleep more. Getting fewer than four hours of sleep over an extended period of time slows the metabolism. Experts recommend aiming for between seven and nine.
Sleeping? Nah, just watching his weight
Reading that made the Sleep Blogger very, very happy. Napping in the recliner when the in-laws are visiting, or sleeping on the couch while somebody else (specifically, Mrs. Blogger) clears the dinner dishes, are not indications of rudeness or sloth. They are instead proof of his commitment to maintaining a healthy weight. Why, if he simply slept more, the Sleep Blogger surely could have the physique of a triathlete.
That’s his story, and he’s sticking with it. Also, he’s pretty sure that drinking beer while watching college football deters cancer.