Doctors: HK Babies Need More Sleep

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　An international survey found Hong Kong babies go to sleep later and sleep less hours than their counterparts elsewhere, while nearly 70 percent of Hong Kong mothers believe their babies have problems sleeping.

　Local experts say the sleep difficulty among babies here may have something to do with the dense population and long-term sleep insufficiency can affect their development and future learning. They also advised parents to give babies a bath and massage before bed to help them relax for quality slumber.

　The online survey was jointly conducted by Johnson's Baby and the Asia-Pacific Pediatric Sleep Association in 17 countries and regions last year. A total of 30,000 mothers with babies aged zero to three filled out the questionnaire, including 1,049 Hong Kong residents.

　It found Hong Kong babies on average got to sleep at 10:17PM, an hour later than those elsewhere in Asia and one and a half hours later than their European and American counterparts. The average length of sleep among local babies everyday – 12 hours,is almost an hour less than that of European and American babies.

　Asia-Pacific Pediatric Sleep Association Vice-Chairman Lee Man-chin told the press here that babies should sleep an average of 13 to 15 hours a day, which means Hong Kong babies do not have enough sleep, and some parents have complained their babies wake up several times at night.

　Lee said the body releases more human growth hormones during sleep and poor sleep affects normal development of young children, making it difficult for them to function while awake during the day and leading to learning difficulties.

　He suspected that Hong Kong's dense population, sounds and lighting at night could be responsible for local babies’sleep problems and reminded parents that they should provide a comfortable environment for their babies to sleep in.

　American pediatric sleep expert Dr Judith Owen suggests that parents make it a daily routine to prepare for their babies’ sleep, such as a warm bath and gentle full massage before bed. They can also sing to or read them stories till they fall asleep.

　She also tells parents they should train their young children to get used to sleeping alone. 　■春生 資深翻譯員