A survey on the sleep quality of Taiwanese children unveiled recently by the Children Welfare League Foundation (兒童福利聯盟) showed that some fourth to sixth grade students suffer from four major sleep disruptors: difficulty falling asleep, not sleeping well, going to bed late and not getting adequate amounts of sleep. Nearly 60 percent of students have suffered from insomnia or have had difficulty falling asleep. In addition, 63 percent of students attributed the disorders to excessive pressure from homework and exams.
Clearly, it is necessary that a further investigation into the sleep quality of students be conducted.
Not sleeping or failing to wake up when they are supposed to is a characteristic shared by many teenagers. This shows that inadequate sleep is the predictable consequence of problems falling asleep, not sleeping well and going to bed too late.
The key to the problem lies in investigating what constitutes normal rest and what interfering factors lead to a gradual deviation from the norm. From this perspective, an examination of the sleep quality of children in Taiwan may shed light on possible social phenomena behind various sleep disorders.
Having normal work and rest hours means doing what you are supposed to do when you are supposed to do it, so it makes one wonder whether the reason for being unable to fall asleep at night is linked to going to sleep late or taking naps during the day. Not sleeping well, however, refers to invasive factors that affect sleep quality and that have imperceptibly influenced the daily routine.
This is also closely related to the habit of going to bed too late.
Even if TV, video games and computers are not the only restraining factors, addiction to such products will make children unwilling to sleep and remain in an excited state. To a certain degree, this indicates that addiction to electronic products seems to be a good index for dangerous behavior.
Not only could high-tech products potentially bring about physical and mental harm to children, they could also have a direct impact on interaction between parents and children, since parents may ask their children to turn off the computer or get offline and rush them off to bed. This means that inferior sleep quality may not only be problematic in itself, but could also lead to further risk of affecting children’s physical and psychological development.
Given prevailing family structures, parents’ work hours and constant external sensory stimulation, younger children, teenagers and adults have suffered from inadequate sleep. Therefore, family, school and social education are vital in preventing various disorders that may ensue from abnormal sleep habits.
Parental education, effective time management and positive leisure activities are issues we should focus on.
While worrying about the bad quality of their children’s sleep, parents or adults in general also view such electronic products as ways to kill time. Thus, what we should consider is which time slots during the day, the week, season or a year we want to use these products.
Also, we should define the differences between taking a break, resting and leisure, and try to find something that can help put our minds at ease.
Think about these issues and stop spending time playing video games, watching TV or using your computer.
Everyone should get involved in such a project, as it is for the good of our children and society.
Wang Shung-ming is a professor of social welfare at Chinese Culture University.
TRANSLATED BY TED YANG
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