Developing a Good Habit of Early to Bed and Early to Rise
文/荟同学校 心理老师 胡旭丹 By Huitong School Counsellor Ms. Danielle Hu
保持充足的睡眠，做到“早睡早起”是良好习惯的基础，是培养好习惯的开始。虽然大多数人都知道这是一个好习惯，但是对于很多成年人和孩子来说，这始终是个不小的挑战。作为家长，首先应该帮助孩子了解“早睡早起”的重要性：
Getting enough sleep and going to bed early are the foundation of good habits and the beginning of developing good habits. Although most people know this is a good habit, many have difficulty doing it. The first thing you should do as a parent is to help your child understand the importance of “Early to Bed and Early to Rise.”
很多研究表明，生长激素的分泌和身高有关，人体生长激素分泌的时间主要是深睡眠状态下，也就是在半夜里面分泌的比较多。为了促进生长激素的分泌，促进孩子的骨骼、内脏和全身生长，一般建议孩子在晚上9:00-10:00入睡，保证充足的高质量睡眠。
Many studies have shown that growth hormone secretion is related to height. Human growth hormone is secreted mainly during deep sleep, that is, it is secreted more in the middle of the night. To promote the secretion of growth hormones and the growth of bones, organs, and the whole body of children, it is generally recommended that children go to sleep between 9:00 and 10:00 p.m. to ensure sufficient quality sleep.
孩子早睡有利于孩子大脑的发育，人的大脑白天需要工作或学习，消耗精力，到了晚上需要充足的睡眠来帮助恢复。而孩子的大脑正在处于发育的过程，没有发育成熟，白天在学校长时间接受知识，回家完成各科作业，因此更需要足够的睡眠来修复疲劳的大脑细胞。
Early bedtime for children is good for developing the child's brain. The human brain needs to work or study during the day, which consumes abundant energy. It needs sufficient sleep at night to help it recover. The child's brain is in the process of development and is not mature. They spend long hours at school during the day to receive knowledge and go home to complete assignments in various subjects, so they need more than enough sleep to repair their tired brain cells.
早睡早起还能让孩子在第二天的课堂上集中注意力，大部分人如果晚上没睡好或者熬夜了，白天就很容易无精打采，注意力很难集中。这是因为大脑没有得到充分修复，依然处于疲惫的状态。这不仅影响学习效率，同时还会影响情绪。很多孩子晚上没睡好，第二天会很容易情绪奔溃，或者容易与他人产生矛盾。因此早睡早起尤其重要。
Going to bed early and waking up early also allows children to be more focused in the classroom the next day. Most people who don't sleep well at night or stay up late are easily lethargic during the day and have difficulty concentrating. This is because the brain is not fully repaired and remains in exhaustion. This situation not only affects learning efficiency but also affects mood. Many children do not sleep well at night, and the next day will be easy to have an emotional breakdown or conflicts with others. Therefore, it is important to go to bed early and get up early.
孩子良好的睡眠习惯不是自己就能养成的，需要家人共同努力协助养成的。了解了“早睡早起”的重要性，那么如何帮助孩子培养早睡早起的习惯呢？
Good sleep habits are not something your child can develop on his or her own; it takes a concerted effort from the family to help develop them. Understanding the importance of "early to bed and early to rise,” how can you help your child develop the habit?
制定作息时间表，约定睡觉与起床的时间 Developing a schedule and agree on the time to go to bed and wake up
和孩子一起协商定制放学后的时间表，除了吃饭、做作业、自由活动及洗漱时间以外，最重要是规定好就寝时间，可以是一个区间，如9:30-10:00，因为有的时候作业量不同，可能很难做到到点就寝。但要设定好最晚就寝时间。起床时间根据上学所需时间制定为定点时间，如6:30。
In addition to meals, homework, free time, and washing up time, the most important thing is to set a bedtime, which can be an interval, such as 9:30-10:00, because sometimes the amount of homework varies, and it may be difficult to go to bed at the right time. However, it is important to set the latest time to go to bed. Wake-up time is set as a fixed time according to the time needed for school, such as 6:30.
为孩子营造良好的睡眠环境 Creating a good sleep environment for your child
人睡觉的环境也会影响到睡眠质量。孩子的卧室可以充满童趣，但色调不建议过于鲜艳刺激，应以柔和的色彩为主。有些孩子需要借助小夜灯入睡，在选择小夜灯时不宜选择光线过强的，尽量以暖光为主，也不要放置在距离孩子太近的床头位置，稍微远一点，能有夜光照明效果即可。
The environment in which people sleep will also affect the quality of sleep. The child's bedroom can be full of childishness, but the color palette is not recommended to be too bright and exciting. Some children need to sleep with the help of night lights. Parents should try to choose a warm light and don’t place it too close to the child's bedside position.
减少睡前刺激，让孩子在睡前保持平静的情绪 Reducing stimulation, let the child maintain a calm mood before bedtime
睡前尽量不要让孩子做一些刺激大脑皮层的事，比如吃宵夜，喝饮料，看一些视频刺激孩子的视觉，做一些剧烈运动等让孩子容易兴奋的事情。另外，很重要的一点，就是避免批评孩子，这会容易让孩子因为负面情绪导致难以入睡。
Try not to let your child do something to stimulate the cerebral cortex before bedtime, such as eating snacks, drinking drinks, watching videos, doing strenuous sports, and other things that make your child easily excited. Also, it is important to avoid criticizing your child. Negative emotions can make it difficult for them to fall asleep.
让孩子白天多运动 Letting the child more exercise during the day
我们常说，孩子睡不着，多半是“电量充足”，多放放电就好了。有些孩子白天活动量不足，或者休息时间过长，导致晚上精力充沛，难以入睡。因此，白天适当增加孩子的户外活动/运动时间。
We often say children can't sleep mostly because they have too much energy. Indeed. When children don't get enough activity or take too much rest during the day, it can cause them to be energetic and have trouble falling asleep at night. Therefore, it is important to increase your child's outdoor activities/exercise time during the day.
家长以身作则 Become a role model for your child
在培养孩子早睡早起好习惯的时候，家长要做好榜样，自身养成良好的作息习惯。到了睡觉时间，可以一起把客厅的灯关上，把手机放下，和孩子一样回房间睡觉。到了睡觉时间如果孩子还不想睡，大人需要多用一点耐心和方法，和孩子共同制定一个睡前仪式或较为平静的活动，让孩子有心理预设知道睡觉时间到了。比如，睡前拥抱5秒，彼此说说今天特别想感恩的事等。
In cultivating the good habit of “early to bed and early to rise”, parents need to be role models for their children and develop good work and rest habits at home. When it's bedtime, you can turn off the lights in the living room, put the phone down and go to bed just like you want your child to do. If your child doesn't want to go to bed at bedtime, parents need to have a little more patience and use methods to work out a bedtime ritual or activity with the child to give him or her the mental preconception that it's time to go to bed. For example, hugging for 5 seconds before bedtime, talking to each other about what they are particularly thankful for today, etc.
任何一个好习惯的养成都不是一蹴而就，需要家长和孩子共同持续地努力，最终习以为常。在这过程中，家长一定要有足够的耐心，循序渐进，协助孩子树立目标，及时鼓励。“一年之计在于春，一日之计在于晨”，相信经过我们的努力，一定能培养出早睡早起，健康阳光的孩子。
Developing any good habit does not happen overnight but requires a sustained effort by parents and children step by step. Parents must be patient to help their children set goals and encourage them in time. " A year's plan lies in spring; a day's plan lies in the morning.” We believe that with our efforts, we will be able to cultivate good habits in our children and help them grow up happy and healthy.
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