Vegan Children and Sleep

[Malva]

I couldn't find any old thread about this but please point me in the right direction if there is one already.

My family switched to an all-plant diet last spring and the transition has been really easy.

I noticed that I seem to be functionning better on what little sleep I get (between pregnancies and nursing, I haven't slept through the night in 6 years). Same with my husband.

The kids also seem to be sleeping less. They wake up earlier, going to be bed at the usual time and don't seem tired during the day. 

I can't help but be a little concerned with the kid's reduced sleep.

I know I'll only get anecdotal evidence here but has anyone else noticed the same thing?

[nicolian]

Both of my sons are vegan. My 3yo wakes at the buttcrack of dawn, and then naps for less than 2 hours and my 20mo sleeps until 8 or later and naps 3-4 hours. I think it depends on the kid.

[katroshka]

My kids have been vegan their whole lives, except for when their dad was making them eat meat for a while, maybe a year, until a couple of years ago. They are 8 and 9. I've never noticed anything strange about their sleep patterns, except that I do send them to bed a little earlier than a lot of kids I know, usually 8pm (though they tend to read and chat until more like 9), they get up at 7am. They have always been good sleepers, no problems with waking up or anything. My older daughter is an early bird and is often awake and reading when I come in to wake them up, while my younger likes to sleep in and can be hard to get out of bed. They are extremely energetic kids, and are into a lot more activities than other kids I know, they just never seem to stop, not that they are hyper, they are actually very calm, but they just keep going FOREVER. The party never stops around here, I have wondered in the past if all the good veggies and whole grains they get give them all that energy, but of course I don't have it! I wish I did...

Kids sleep patterns definitely change and they need less and less sleep as they get older, so it may have nothing to do with their diet. If they seem rested I'd say everything is fine.

[mum2sarah]

My kids and I are vegan and have been since my oldest was about 16 months old.  I will say this: when my kids were very little I did notice that they slept less than most kids; however, it never seemed to cause them any ill consequence.  For example they both quit napping regularly by the age of 2, but they were never crabby, and have been healthy, energetic, and growing well.  Perhaps with a more optimal diet like a plant-based on, your body functions more optimally and needs less sleep?  Now that they're older, I'm not sure how much sleep the normal 6-8 yr old, but by now I've quit comparing my kids to others... They go to bed around 9 and get up around 7:30AM on school days; I let them sleep later on weekends, but they are usually up by 9 at the latest (more typically by 8).

[StefanieH]

Hey the reason why they are sleeping less is because their body isn't working overtime to digest food and expending extra energy!  This is a good thing. :-)