This post will look at the very real problem of children that have become overstimulated. In our fast-paced world this happens much more than I think we even realize. We have become so accustomed to overstimulated children that we think this is normal. However, overstimulation has physical, emotional, and developmental consequences. I will look at the root causes of overstimulation and steps that can be taken to avoid this state of being for our children.
What is Overstimulation
Overstimulation can be defined as a continued state of adrenaline rush. Children are hyper and wild. We often refer to this as "bouncing off the walls." Many would have us believe that this is normal for toddlers and preschoolers. However, research is beginning to bare out that this constant state of adrenaline can be detrimental to a child's health. We as human beings were not designed to live in a constant state of adrenaline rush. This can have close to the same effect on a child as toxic stress, which has been shown to have devastating effects on a child's long-term health, physically, emotionally, and developmentally. In the early childhood world, we have become obsessed with making sure a child does not experience toxic stress, and yet we do absolutely nothing about overstimulation except call it developmentally appropriate. This is absurd.
What Causes Overstimulation?
Some overstimulation is caused by a chemical imbalance in a child's brain that hinders a child from shifting into a lower gear. However, this is not very common and some children that are labeled ADD and ADHD do not have this chemical imbalance. Most overstimulation is caused by two different factors either singularly or together in some combination. Those two factors are poor sleeping habits and poor eating habits. In most of today's children, both factors come into play.
Before I tackle sleeping and eating habits, let me say that the children that do have the true chemical imbalance will benefit from the steps needed to reduce normal overstimulation. These children will just need extra steps to help them deal with too much stimuli. Therefore, reducing the factors that cause normal overstimulation may help parents and caregivers determine if a child truly shows signs of ADD and ADHD. Medicating a child that simply has normal overstimulation should not happen, but it does. Unfortunately, dealing with the two main causes of overstimulation represents a great deal of what our society does not have the will or desire to conquer.
Poor Sleeping Habits
The first and probably the biggest cause of overstimulation involves poor sleeping habits. I laugh out loud at people and parents that say their children under the age of five do not need naps. Almost in the same breath, these same parents will complain about how hyper and out of control their children can be. They will also complain about bedtime and wondering whether or not their preschool child will ever really sleep through the night. Upon further investigation, it becomes plain that what is really going on is that naps and regular bedtimes represents a fight the parents have completely lost and/or have convinced themselves is not really necessary. I understand. Regular naps and bedtimes require an adult to be consistent. My generation and all the generations behind us were not raised to be consistent. If we acquire consistency, it is usually in adulthood out of complete necessity during a very hard time of life. However, many early childhood experts complicate this scenario with an overemphasis on keeping a child's life stress-free. They tell parents that the stress of the battle over naps is worse for them than the lack of rest. This makes me angry because it is so wrong it is shameful. A certain amount of stress has been shown to be good for children. Otherwise, they never learn to deal with difficult circumstances. If you needed to pick a situation in which to apply good stress, the battle over naps and bedtimes would be an excellent place to start.
Let me be completely clear. Children need rest. Naps are absolutely necessary for a child's well-being and proper growth on all fronts. Unless you have experienced the enormous difference between the same child properly rested and not rested, it may be difficult to understand just how important this is for the child. Most American children do not get the proper rest, and therefore, American parents have no point of reference. That is, until they arrive on my doorstep. At my childcare, nap has never been optional. If a parent presses that point, I will tell them my childcare is not a good fit for their family and show them the door. By some miracle as a young parent, I received good information on the importance of sleep for a child. In my household, nap was never an option and bedtimes were mostly consistent. When they were not, my children climbed the walls. It did not take a rocket scientist to figure out what made my children climb the walls. Did my peers give me a hard time about being so adamant about naps and bedtimes? Absolutely, but I was a stay-at-home mom. I had to live with my children 24/7. I was not interested in living with overstimulated children unless I had no choice in the matter. I brought that knowledge with me when I started a childcare. Over and over and over I have proven to parents the difference regular naps make in their children. It even helps them sleep better at night. After children have been here for over 6 months, my parents will start commenting on how much calmer their child has become. Even then some parents still do not connect the dots and will not enforce a regular bedtime and naps. That makes for very unpleasant Mondays after children have been overstimulated all weekend.
Terrible Eaing Habits
The second underlying cause for overstimulation involves the very bane of our society - terrible eating habits. Here is yet one more reason that children should eat their fruits and vegetables. Tackling this problem will actually be the subject of the next several midweek posts. However, let me say that if parents and caregivers truly understood what bad eating habits do to children in the short term and the long term, we would not have an obesity epidemic. Unfortunately, food tends to be a very personal and hotly passionate subject. We like what we like, and we do not want to be told otherwise. The stress-free philosophy also comes into play in this one as well. I hope after the next several posts you will realize that the battle over the fruits and vegetables just might be the most important battle in which a parent and/or caregiver chooses to engage. It really does make that big a difference.
I hope you have enjoyed this post. Goodbye and God bless!!
Check out Natalie's children's books at: https://www.amazon.com/author/nataliewade7457
No comments:
Post a Comment