Eating good food and getting a lot of exercise is important to staying healthy. Getting enough sleep is important, too. Experts say that children between the ages of 5 and 12 need 10 to 11 hours of sleep each night.

Your body needs sleep for many reasons. It needs to take a rest from all the activity it has done during the day. Your brain needs a rest, too. You may not grow as well or you might get sick easier without enough sleep.

You have a “24-hour clock” inside your body that tells you when to be awake and when to go to sleep. This clock is controlled by your brain. Blue light that comes from the Sun tells your brain to keep you awake during the day. Then you can do all the things that you need to do. When there is no blue light at night, the brain tells the body it is time to go to sleep.

There are many things that stop the brain from telling your body when it is time to sleep. One of these is blue light at night. Today, people spend a lot of time watching television or looking at screens on computers or smartphones. These devices give off blue light. If you look at them at night, the blue light can trick your body into thinking it is daytime. Then it is harder to go to sleep and stay asleep.

What are some things that you can do to get a good night’s sleep? Experts say that you should not look at screens that give off blue light for at least one hour before going to sleep. Two to three hours is better. Do not watch TV or use anything with a computer screen in bed. If you need to do something to fall asleep, it is better to read a book. Also, keep your bedroom as dark as you can. This will help your brain know it is time to sleep.