The Taiwan Society of Sleep Medicine yesterday warned that insufficient sleep might result in depression, anxiety and other mood disorders in children after a medical survey showed that 84.6 percent of high-school students in Taipei are not getting enough sleep.
The survey of about 20,000 children in Taipei was conducted by National Chengchi University professor of psychology Yang Chien-ming (楊建銘) and Taipei City Hospital Renai Branch pediatrician Chang Yung-sen (張詠森).
The majority of school-aged children in Taipei got fewer hours of sleep than recommended by the US National Sleep Foundation, especially older children, who were found to get less sleep than younger ones, the survey showed.
While 80.5 percent of preschool children have enough sleep, the figure dropped to 61.5 percent for elementary-school students and 15.4 percent for junior and senior-high school students, while 45.7 percent of high-school children are sleep-deprived, the survey showed.
Low-quality sleep is linked to other factors, including discomfort stemming from asthma-induced nighttime coughing, hayfever and eczema, which leads to difficulty falling asleep, shallow sleep and daytime fatigue, it said.
Children who use cellphones, tablets and computers within an hour of going to bed also slept less and reported drowsiness during the day, it said.
Children who have insufficient sleep are more likely to develop attention-deficit disorders and other mood or behavior-affecting conditions, the survey showed.
In teenagers, chronic lack of sleep is correlated to depression, anxiety and inhibited growth, the society said.
Parents should encourage good sleeping habits by using an alarm clock to set bedtime, which can also remind children to pack their bag for the next day and set aside their toys as they prepare mentally for sleep, it said.
Alarm clocks also help parents avoid arguments with children over bedtime, which reduces delays, it said, adding that parents must be firm in making their child go to bed on time.
Sunlight inhibits melatonin and helps keep children awake during the day, so window shades should be opened to let in sunlight 15 to 20 minutes before the child gets out of bed, it said, adding that sunlight during breakfast and on the way to to school also helps.
A later bedtime should be considered for children who have a hard time falling asleep, but they should not be allowed to oversleep on weekends, it said.
Parents should help children plan their day to have sufficient sleep during the school week so that they would not oversleep on weekends, which could lead to changes in their sleep schedule, the society said.
LOW RISK: Most nations do not extradite people accused of political crimes, and the UN says extradition can only happen if the act is a crime in both countries, an official said China yesterday issued wanted notices for two Taiwanese influencers, accusing them of committing “separatist acts” by criticizing Beijing, amid broadening concerns over China’s state-directed transnational repression. The Quanzhou Public Security Bureau in a notice posted online said police are offering a reward of up to 25,000 yuan (US$3,523) for information that could contribute to the investigation or apprehension of pro-Taiwanese independence YouTuber Wen Tzu-yu (溫子渝),who is known as Pa Chiung (八炯) online, and rapper Chen Po-yuan (陳柏源). Wen and Chen are suspected of spreading content that supported secession from China, slandered Chinese policies that benefit Taiwanese and discrimination against Chinese spouses of
PROMOTION: Travelers who want a free stopover must book their flights with designated travel agents, such as Lion Travel, Holiday Tours, Cola Tour and Life Tours Air Canada yesterday said it is offering Taiwanese travelers who are headed to North America free stopovers if they transit though airports in Japan and South Korea. The promotion was launched in response to a potential rise in demand for flights to North America in June and July next year, when the US, Canada and Mexico are scheduled to jointly host the FIFA World Cup, Air Canada said. Air Canada offers services to 13 of the 16 host cities of the tournament’s soccer games, including Toronto and Vancouver; Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey in Mexico; Atlanta, Georgia; Boston; Dallas; Houston;
The US approved the possible sale to Taiwan of fighter jet spare and repair parts for US$330 million, the Pentagon said late yesterday, marking the first such potential transaction since US President Donald Trump took office in January. "The proposed sale will improve the recipient's capability to meet current and future threats by maintaining the operational readiness of the recipient's fleet of F-16, C-130," and other aircraft, the Pentagon said in a statement. Trump previously said that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has told him he would not invade Taiwan while the Republican leader is in office. The announcement of the possible arms
ALIGNED THINKING: Taiwan and Japan have a mutual interest in trade, culture and engineering, and can work together for stability, Cho Jung-tai said Taiwan and Japan are two like-minded countries willing to work together to form a “safety barrier” in the Indo-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday said at the opening ceremony of the 35th Taiwan-Japan Modern Engineering and Technology Symposium in Taipei. Taiwan and Japan are close geographically and closer emotionally, he added. Citing the overflowing of a barrier lake in the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) in September, Cho said the submersible water level sensors given by Japan during the disaster helped Taiwan monitor the lake’s water levels more accurately. Japan also provided a lot of vaccines early in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,
RSS