When our little lironcitos sleep more hours than usual, we immediately think "is growing". But what is true in this belief? Is it true that children grow up while they sleep?
Well yes, it's true, science confirms. Sleep is essential for the good health of the little ones. They need it to regain strength, to assimilate what they have learned during the day, but it also has a lot to do with the growth of children. We will explain why.
Do not expect a stretch after sleeping twelve hours or put the children to sleep two hours before to grow a couple of centimeters, because it is not so. But it is true that a good night's rest contributes to healthy growth in childhood.
Growth hormone is released in greater amounts during sleep
During sleep increases the secretion of growth hormone. This happens in the No-REM phase of sleep, that is, during the period of deep sleep when the anterior pituitary gland synthesizes GH growth hormone (Growth Hormone), also known as somatotropic hormone.
In Babies and more Sleeping well is vital for the child: habits for your child to have a restful sleepIt is believed that the peak release of the hormone occurs on average between one and two hours after the onset of sleep.
There is research that places the period of increased activity of the hormone between midnight and 4 in the morning, in the deepest phase of the child's sleep. The hormone can also be released during the nap, in the non-Rem phase period, even if they are shorter.
It is advisable to establish a regular sleep routine, ensure that they sleep the hours they need to be rested according to their age and ensure a relaxing sleep environment. Making them sleep more hours than necessary does not help because everyone sleeps what they need, neither more nor less.
The "lugs" of the dream
Scientists from Emory University, in the United States, investigated the relationship between sleeping hours and the growth of children, and showed that the "lugs" that occur suddenly are directly related to an increase in the hours the child sleeps. child, as in periods of illness or fever.
Specifically, 43 percent of babies experienced a small "stretch" in times when there was an "extra" or unusual nap, for example when riding in a car regularly or had a fever, and one in each five also grew in each period in which he slept an hour longer than usual.
They not only grow during sleep
While is true that growth hormone is released at maximum levels during sleep, it also does it in a pulsatile way (as if they were small jets), and in smaller quantities, in intervals of 3 to 5 hours throughout the day.
Of course, there are many other factors that influence in the growth of children who are related to good nutrition, the practice of regular exercise and healthy lifestyle habits.
In Babies and more How many hours of sleep do children need according to their age?Synthetic human growth hormone
In some specific cases of children with growth problems in which a GH deficit has been diagnosed, the synthetic growth hormone. This happens, for example, in children with Turner syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, children with chronic renal failure and with other growth disorders.
Synthetic human growth hormone has been shown to have many dangerous side effects, therefore it should always be indicated and administered under the supervision of a doctor.
The dream is a physiological process of great importance for the development of our little ones, one of the activities in which more time of the day they occupy, but the one that more. We must ensure an adequate sleep environment at their age to ensure healthy growth.
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