Children, from birth, sleep both day and night. Gradually, as they grow, they eliminate daytime sleep until they take one or no naps.
It has long been said how beneficial it can be to take a nap for children. A new study comes to corroborate this, since it concludes that for children 4 to 5 years old, Napping during the day could help reduce hyperactivity, anxiety and depression.
To reach these conclusions they conducted a study with 62 children who classified into two groups, those who did take a nap (77% of children) and those who did not (23% of children) and found that those who did not sleep They had higher levels of anxiety, hyperactivity and depression.
Given these data, Brian Crosby, lead author of the study, advises parents to "include a period of 'rest' in their daily schedule that will allow the child to take a nap if necessary." The children who took a nap did an average of 3.4 days a week, that is, they do not sleep every day.
In my case, with a 3 and a half year old child, I cannot conclude whether napping is better or worse. I do not doubt the benefits of the nap, but as my son wakes up when he sleeps, crying and not wanting to know anything about anyone for at least half an hour, I prefer not to do it.
Maybe when you have those 4 or 5 years your nap is lighter and your waking more acceptable, but you also have to think that many children who take a nap then go to bed later.
