(WQOW) - A new study has found a link between
what children are watching on TV and how well they sleep.
The new study tells us that children
who watched shows focused on educational content like Sesame Street had significantly lower
chances of developing any sleep problems. The study focused on children from 3-5
years old.
"If they see that
cartoons or shows are violent, turn them off," said Regis Child
Development Center's
Gayle Flaig.
A new study found that children who
watched non-violent, educational programming were able to fall asleep faster
and stay asleep, compared to children watching shows that may be inappropriate
for them.
"Sometimes children
try to reenact what they see, and this can be very dangerous as well in their
play and in their behavior. And that affects their sleep as well. It's just too
much activity for them," Flaig said.
The study found shows such as Dora
the Explorer and Curious George led to far less sleep issues among children 3-5
years of age than shows with acts of violence.
"When my son was
younger especially, we would notice that if he watched The Incredibles, he
would be revved up and stimulated, and charge around the house for a long time,
and it would take a couple of hours to get him settled down, much less ready to
sleep. Where as if he watched Kipper or Finding Nemo, he was more calm, and
sometimes he would almost drift off as he was watching TV," said Lori Schwichtenberg, an Eau Claire mother with 3
kids.
Loss of sleep can have many side
effects.
"As a result, this
could lead to childhood obesity, it can lead to mood disorders, it can lead to
behavior problems. So not getting enough sleep can really affect a child's
growth and development," Flaig said.
"Monitoring what
our kids watch on TV I think is very difficult as a parent because there are so
many channels with so many things I wouldn't want them to see. Actually when
our children were younger, we didn't have expanded cable for that very reason.
We just had the four basic channels so we could monitor it better," Schwichtenberg said.
The study also found that higher
previous exposure to violent shows made switching to educational programming
more effective.
