This week is National School Breakfast Week and Sleep Awareness Week.
While the two seemingly are unrelated, they go hand-in-hand. School-age child or not, getting a good night’s sleep and eating a good breakfast helps jump start your metabolism and get your day going!
Question for parents:
- What do you do the night before your child has a test (math, english, etc.)?
- Do you make sure they get a good night’s sleep and eat breakfast the next morning?
Question for adults:
- What do you do the night before and morning of a big meeting or other important event? Are the next day’s materials organized before going to bed early?
- Do you eat a balanced breakfast in the morning?
Before any big meeting (especially performance reviews), I would lay out my clothes and make sure my work bag was packed and by the door. I would treat myself to a salmon dinner with one glass of wine and go to bed early. I would, then, wake up early enough so that I had time to make my egg sandwich and sit down for breakfast before getting in the car.
Performance, academic or work is positively affected by eating a good breakfast. In the 1998 study, The Relationship of School Breakfast to Psychosocial and Academic Functioning, published in the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine children who participated in the school breakfast program had higher math grades and reported fewer psychosocial problems.
Getting adequate sleep is important too! Tossing and turning just leaves one feeling drained the next day. However, quality as well as quantity of sleep matters. The National Sleep Foundation states that teenagers need 8.5 to 9.25 hours of uninterrupted sleep! It is when we are sleeping that the body repairs itself.
“If sleep is cut short, the body doesn’t have time to complete all of the phases needed for muscle repair, memory consolidation and release of hormones regulating growth and appetite. Then we wake up less prepared to concentrate, make decisions, or engage fully in school and social activities.” – National Sleep Foundation
Taking the time to eat breakfast with adequate sleep under your belt will leave you feeling energized for work, school or anything! This weekend, Sunday March 13, 2011, we spring forward into daylight savings so make sure you and your loved ones are sleeping and eating a healthy breakfast!
Fun Resources for you and your kids:
Nourish Interactive is a fun source of nutrition games for kids and tools. A great way to educate the whole family about nutrition.
Mateja says
We have a rule that no one is allowed to leave the house in the morning without breakfast. As my mom made a breakfast morning routine for my sister and me, so did I for my kids, too. Have a great weekend 🙂