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Hajj: How the pilgrimage can benefit your mind and body

Ahead of the start of school, Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare offers a few tips to help reduce the stress associated with returning to school so your children are healthy and prepared.

Sleep times

Did you know that fatigue affects a person’s ability to concentrate, learn and retain critical information? Children are affected more by this than adults. It is also crucial for children because of how vital sleep is for their overall health; children need adequate sleep as they grow, and their bodies need rest, particularly on school days.

As school is about to start, it is a good idea to begin reintroducing your children to their regular school bedtime. You can start by slowly changing the time they go to bed over the coming days so when school begins, they will be going to bed early enough they perform their best at school.

• 3-5 years: 10-13 hours (including naps)
• 6-12 years: 9-12 hours
• 13-18 years: 8-10 hours

Nutrition

To help your children be their best at school, your children need to consume well-balanced and nutritious meals in appropriate amounts to meet their developmental requirements. Poor nutrition (both food and drink) negatively affects bone and heart health, immunity, mental health, activity level, social health and academic performance.

• Always ensure your children eat a well-balanced breakfast before going to school. This supports cognitive thinking, focus and concentration and improves ability to learn.
• Your children should consume three main meals and 2-3 snacks daily.
• Parents and teachers should lead by example by consuming healthy food and drinks, being active and maintaining proper body weight.
• It is recommended all the family follows the ‘My Plate’ model for meals:
  • 1/4 of the plate: Whole grains, unsweetened cereals, whole-wheat bread, rice, pasta or potatoes (baked or boiled). This provides energy, fiber and many necessary vitamins and minerals.
  • 1/4 of the plate: Fruits (fresh or dried). Fruits provide vitamins, fiber and antioxidants that support heart health, mental health, immunity and reduce the risk of disease. It is better to consume whole fruits rather than drink juices, but if you drink fruit juice, always go with unsweetened.
  • 1/4 of the plate: Vegetables, which provide essential vitamins, fiber and antioxidants.
  • 1/4 of the plate: Protein, which includes lean meat, skinless poultry, seafood, eggs, low-fat cheese, labnah or peanut butter.
• Healthy beverages: Water is important for hydration. Low-fat or nonfat milk and other dairy products provide protein, calcium and vitamin D necessary for bone health. Students require three cups of milk, buttermilk or yogurt each day to meet their calcium needs.

Regular Exercise

Evidence shows that leading an active lifestyle leads to improved health, including stronger bones and muscles; a healthier brain; and a reduction in risk for disease. Moreover, school can be very stressful for students and exercise can help reduce stress considerably.

Children should engage in at least one hour of exercise daily with most of that being moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise such as jumping rope, skateboarding, bicycling and swimming. In addition, three days a week, it is recommended to do strength training such as using free weights, weight machines, resistance bands and doing pushups or planks.

Do not force activities on your child. They tend to burn more calories if they are having fun doing exercise they enjoy. To help encourage them, keep different types of sports equipment, such as balls, hula hoops and jump ropes, available so they can pick the ones they most enjoy.

Do not forget, serve as a role model for your children. If your children see you exercising and living an active lifestyle, they will be more likely to develop the same healthy habit.

For those children with special needs such as autism, ADHD and others, exercise can be particularly important to help manage the additional stress of being out of their routine and having to sit still and listen. An exercise program tailored to their interests can also help them sleep better throughout the night.

Regular health checks

Ahead of school starting, consider visiting your pediatric primary care physician and dentist to ensure your children are in the best of medical and dental health prior to the first day of school. This is particularly important if your child has a chronic condition such as diabetes and is still learning how to manage it at school and away from the home routine.

If registered with JHAH, use MyChart to book medical and dental appointments more conveniently including the option of telephone and video appointments to help avoid delays and the need for additional travel at this busy time of year.

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