AUDIO SCRIPT

GOOD NIGHT, SLEEP RIGHT

Sheryl Wright Mercer, a mother of two in Toronto, dislikes the television’s effect on her daughters’ lives, saying she thinks it’s part of the reason her girls, aged 12 and 11, don’t get to bed as early as they ought to: "I don't don't think we start the bedtime process early enough. It seems that they’re watching something on TV that ends at 9:30 p.m. and then we start everything." She says that they're they're often still in bed at 8 a.m., when she calls to wake them for school: "I figure if I have to wake them up, they're not getting enough sleep."


Owens agrees. She says that, while kids need time to relax after sports and homework, electronic diversions are too stimulating. "Parents need to look at what’s going on in that prior-to-bedtime period," she says. "Kids are on instant messaging and they’re watching television. They're not really preparing themselves mentally to go to sleep." As a general rule, the TV should be off about an hour before the kids go to bed.


For stubborn night owls, Owens recommends keeping wake-up time the same every day, including weekends. She says it may take several weeks, but eventually the children will go to bed earlier. As well, parents can try incentives, such as dinner out or a movie, to reward compliance at bedtime.
MacLusky endorses regular exercise, such as a bike ride after supper, simply to improve sleep quality. "The more exercise, the better," he says. "It’s good for psychological stress; you burn up adrenaline. But exercise should end about three hours before bedtime."