We have talked on some occasions (you have them in the references at the end of this post) about the benefits of a quiet and sufficient sleep in the child's attitude and emotional development but there is another important issue that gives importance to this daily act: the relationship between a quality dream and growth.
In the pediatric rooms of the Spanish hospitals, posters with images of sleeping babies are usually hung and some phrase that alludes to their relationship with body development, we will try to explain what this relationship consists of and what characteristics the dream should have to facilitate growth.
The basis of this relationship between sleep and growth It is in the growth hormone or somatotropin. This hormone acts on many tissues of the body, influencing the development of cells and tissues and modulating the metabolism of proteins.
As for what characteristics the sleep must have in order to facilitate growth, the growth hormone is segregated in greater quantity 50 or 60 minutes after the night's sleep has begun (although it seems that during long naps this also occurs). Children who sleep uneasily with multiple periods throughout the night are at a disadvantage with those who manage to do so at once.
AdvertisingThis hormonal action is also related to food (blood sugar concentration), hunger, exercise and stress, which must be in balanced values to allow the child to reach their full growth potential.
