小孩子究竟需要多少睡眠时长？

石斯琳

Children need a lot of sleep. The American Academy of Pediatrics1 recommends2 9 to 12 hours per night for kids between age 6 and 12， but the sad reality is that few kids get this much sleep. Family schedules3 are so busy， packed with extracurriculars4， screen time， and late work hours， that putting a kid to bed at an early hour often seems impossible.

小孩子通常需要大量睡眠。美国儿科学会建议六到十二岁的儿童每晚睡眠要达到九到十二个小时，但可惜的是极少数儿童能达到这个标准。家庭日程被各种业余活动，看各种电子产品的时间，以及熬夜做作业的时间塞得满满当当。这样的日程安排让儿童早睡早起变成了一件可望不可及的事。

There are good reasons， however， to make this a priority5. Getting enough sleep has been linked to better academic6 performance， better mental health， and lower body weight. By contrast， when sleep is lacking， kids tend to be more aggressive7. Teenagers can become suicidal8.

小孩子早睡早起是头等大事这种说法可不是空穴来风的。拥有足够的睡眠与良好的学业成绩、健康的精神状况和体重息息相关。与此相反，若睡眠不足，孩子会变得烦躁好斗。青少年则会有自杀倾向。

In an effort to encourage parents to put their kids to bed early， one elementary school in Wisconsin created a chart that shows the best time to put a kid to bed， depending on their age and when they have to wake up. For example， a 6-year-old who needs to be up by 6：30 a.m. should be in bed by 7：30， while their 8-year-old sibling9 could stay up till 8 p.m. if he/she has the same wake time.

威斯康辛（美国州名）的一所小学为了鼓励家长督促他们的孩子早睡早起，绘制了一张表格，向家长们展示孩子上床的最佳时间，而这个最佳时间取决于孩子们的年龄和起床的时间。例如，一个六岁的儿童如果早上六点半起床，那么晚上七点半就要上床。然而跟他同一时间（早上六点半）起床的八岁的兄弟（姐妹），可以等到八点再上床睡觉。

The chart was originally10 posted in 2015 and has been shared nearly a half-million times on Facebook since then， which shows that parents are looking for guidance on bedtime schedules.

这个表格最初于2015年发表，自那以后，在脸书的转发量达到了近50万。这表明父母们正在积极寻求孩子们就寝时间的帮助指导。

I was excited to see this chart because Im a big advocate11 of early bedtimes， not only for my childrens health， but also for the health of the family. With kids in bed by 7 p.m. every night， it frees up three hours each evening for me and my husband to do whatever we want—a workout in the garage， baking in the kitchen， an adult dinner party， going out with friends， or simply lying on the couch in silence with a book. I honestly think Id go crazy if I didnt have that free time each night.

我看到這张表格时无比激动，因为我是儿童早睡的支持者。早睡不仅是为了孩子的健康，更关系到家庭的幸福。我们家的小孩每晚七点上床，意味着每天晚上多出了三个小时的空余时间可供我和我丈夫随意支配——在车库健身、去厨房烘培、邀请朋友参加晚宴、同朋友外出聚会，或者就简简单单地窝在沙发里，让一本书安安静静地陪伴着我。如果每天晚上没有这样的空余时间，我真的会不知所措。

If you still have doubts， please realize that “putting kids to bed” is different than “going to sleep”. Just because mine are in bed at 7 does not mean theyre asleep by 7：10. Sometimes theyre awake till after 8：30， just talking to themselves or singing quietly or yelling for water or hugs. But it doesnt matter because theyre in their sleep space and Im off parenting duty.

如果你仍然心存疑问，请务必弄清楚一点：“哄孩子上床”与“入睡”完全是两回事。我的孩子七点上床并不意味着他们七点十分就进入梦乡。有时他们八点半之后才会睡着，这期间他们自说自话，或者哼着歌，或吵嚷着要喝水、拥抱。但这都没关系。因为只要孩子们上床了，他们就是在睡觉区间里面，而我则不需要再看护他们了。

Bedtime should depend on a schedule， not on perceived12 tiredness. Give it a try； you will be pleasantly surprised at how wonderful it is to have well-rested kids and time to yourself.

孩子们的睡觉时间取决于有规律的时间表，而不应等到明显疲累才上床。试试看吧！你会惊喜地发现生活中有一个拥有良好睡眠习惯的孩子以及可供自己支配的时间是多么美好！

1. pediatrics [ ] n. 小儿科

2. recommend [ ] vt. 推荐；建议

3. schedule [ ] n. 时间表，日程

4. extracurricular [ ] adj. 课外的；业余的

5. priority [ ] n. 优先权；优先

6. academic [ ] adj. 学院的；学术的

7. aggressive [ ] adj. 侵略的；进攻性的；好斗的

8. suicidal [ ] adj. 自杀的，自杀性的；自我毁灭的

9. sibling [ ] n. 兄弟姊妹

10. originally [ ] adv. 原本；起初

11. advocate [ ] v. 提倡；主张

12. perceive [ ] v. 注意到；觉察到