Play more and sleep better to grow healthier

The new guidelines published byWHO are clear: young children need to spend less time sitting watching television or in the stroller, improve sleep quality and spend more time in active play.

During the first few years of life, a person's body undergoes rapid changes and this is the ideal time to develop healthy habits that will have long-term positive effects. The analysis ofWorld Health Organization it concerns children under 5, the most important period according to experts, and focuses on the effects of lack of sleep and low physical activity due to being too long in a stroller or in front of digital devices.

The results show that physical activity and the quality of sleep are crucial for the physical, mental health and general well-being of the child, but not only: establishing virtuous habits during childhood helps to carry them through to adulthood. In short, in order to grow healthy, our children need to spend less time sitting, playing more and sleeping better.

The transition from a sedentary lifestyle to active play is particularly important to prevent obesity and the pathologies that could result from it and the recipe is apparently simple: to replace the time spent sitting with more lively activities or activities that require greater participation, without forgetting to safeguard sleep. The key is precisely in the balance between motor activity, sleep and a "quality" sedentary lifestyle in which books, songs, puzzles and interactive games are preferable to television and digital devices with a view to a complete psycho-motor development and lasting well-being.

To know more:WHO - Guidelines for physical activity, sedentary lifestyle and sleep in children under 5 years of age

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