When's Dinner?

[AlexanderB]

When I was in BA, I never ate dinner before 10-11 PM, and that's just as it should be. To be fair, I'm also that way in the US, so it was a good fit.

 

[gpop]

I saw a documentary about a study done in the UK with elementary school children and their sleep requirements (I can't remember exactly on what channel, although I think it was on NatGeo).

They had one group of children sleeping a typical 8 hours, and another group that was getting closer to 11 hours of sleep. The results were astonishing; the group sleeping longer had plenty of energy, more alert, did not display behavioral problems, and consistently out-preformed the children who only slept for 8 hours.

Now, to get a child to get 11 hours of sleep, they would have to be in bed by 7:30-8pm (supposing that the child goes to school for the morning-afternoon session). This doesn't work with the norms of the Argentine schedule. Also, because of parents work schedule, getting off from work at 6 and HOPEFULLY making it home by 7 leaves only half an hour to an hour to eat dinner, play/do homework with the kids, and have some family time together.
That's a lot of stress!

 

[tez]

They had one group of children sleeping a typical 8 hours, and another group that was getting closer to 11 hours of sleep. The results were astonishing; the group sleeping longer had plenty of energy, more alert, did not display behavioral problems, and consistently out-preformed the children who only slept for 8 hours.

That sounds like an interesting documentary, thanks for sharing.

I know this is going to stray from the original theme of the thread, but my question: did the documentary say anything about naps? As in, how many total hours of sleep in a 24 hour period renders this high-performance? Can we compensate an 8 hour night with a 4 hour nap? Or do they propose the benefit comes from the long stretch of sleep at night?

I eat dinner here around 8-9 and I think it's perfect, I can't even imagine eating at 6 anymore. What a rush to get dinner done! I'm around a lot of kids, and most eat at this time and are in bed at 10pm (when they fall asleep is another question). On a school day up at 8 to get to school at 9 means between 9-10 hours of sleep, that's not bad. But what I find though is that one kid in particular (recently turned 3) will take 3-4 hour naps! I haven't had such close contact with young kids in the US as I do here, but that used to seem like a really long nap to me. Maybe it's not.

Anyway, thanks for sharing. As a side not for the original topic: when I go back to the US, I can't have dinner with people anymore. Several times I've made loose plans for "dinner tomorrow," only to be jolted back to reality when the friend calls me at 5:30 asking where I want to me. !!!

 

[Tangerine]

and back to dinner.

All the times in BA are perfect for people that live half the time on the Left Coast of the US.

Wake up in Los Angeles 6 AM = 10 AM BA time...
At work by 8 AM in LA to get your day going = 12 noon sit around and have medialunas and coffee until lunch.
Lunch in LA 11 AM = 3 PM BA time...
11:30 AM LA get back to work we are burning daylight, in BA call into work and tell them you will not be in today and a nap would be nice.
Supper at 6 PM = 10 PM BA time...
11 PM bed time = 3 AM we will hit one more club before we go home......

and back to Dinner... that is the large meal after church on Sundays somewhere in Iowa.

 

[TERKILD]

I start drinking beer at 4! (Weekdays)

 

[citygirl]

I'm from the US and I have to say that I've never eaten dinner at 6 in my life.

I keep the same hours here roughly that I did in NY. Dinner is usually around 7:30 or 8:00 at home.

If we go out with friends, it's usually later but 9 is my preferred time in restaurants.

 

[gpop]

and back to dinner.

All the times in BA are perfect for people that live half the time on the Left Coast of the US.

Wake up in Los Angeles 6 AM = 10 AM BA time...
At work by 8 AM in LA to get your day going = 12 noon sit around and have medialunas and coffee until lunch.
Lunch in LA 11 AM = 3 PM BA time...
11:30 AM LA get back to work we are burning daylight, in BA call into work and tell them you will not be in today and a nap would be nice.
Supper at 6 PM = 10 PM BA time...
11 PM bed time = 3 AM we will hit one more club before we go home......

and back to Dinner... that is the large meal after church on Sundays somewhere in Iowa.

hmmm, OK, there are differences in how one would conduct their day at a different stage in his/her life rather than what part of the USA you're from. I'm sure that even people living in LA [who have children, for example], have a different schedule than those who do not.
Also, I'm guessing there are some nightclubs and people frequenting them in Iowa as well.
I'm from Montreal; more strip clubs than anywhere else in the world (with the exception of Amsterdam), but If we were living there now, that doesn't change my schedule. People with families have a structure to maintain in raising children.

 

[fifs2]

I saw a documentary about a study done in the UK with elementary school children and their sleep requirements (I can't remember exactly on what channel, although I think it was on NatGeo).

They had one group of children sleeping a typical 8 hours, and another group that was getting closer to 11 hours of sleep. The results were astonishing; the group sleeping longer had plenty of energy, more alert, did not display behavioral problems, and consistently out-preformed the children who only slept for 8 hours.

Now, to get a child to get 11 hours of sleep, they would have to be in bed by 7:30-8pm (supposing that the child goes to school for the morning-afternoon session). This doesn't work with the norms of the Argentine schedule. Also, because of parents work schedule, getting off from work at 6 and HOPEFULLY making it home by 7 leaves only half an hour to an hour to eat dinner, play/do homework with the kids, and have some family time together.
That's a lot of stress!

Yup that was our stress but as have our own company leaving work to pick up the kids at 4/4.30pm worked and allowed for after school sports, dinner, reading, bath and bed by 8.30pm but all with lots of expediting to put it mildly. Now in Spain the kids are in school to 5pm which complicates things more but they dont start school till 9am which helps..For any stressed parent the weekends are the time to wind down, throw out the rulebook, eat dinner late with the kids and carry the liitle exhausted darlings to bed where they fall...my mother-in-law is here staying with us for 6 weeks and constantly reminds me how easy I have it with automatic washing machines, help around the house etc. but our parents generations didnt both work and if they did they werent expected to be connected 24/7. Life isn't easy for anyone. We just have to commit to the best parenting we can manage and if that includes 10/11 hours sleep for them sobeit whilst we ourselves get 6 hours or so..sure they'll be SOOOOO grateful when they're older ..NOT!

 

[gpop]

That sounds like an interesting documentary, thanks for sharing.

I know this is going to stray from the original theme of the thread, but my question: did the documentary say anything about naps? As in, how many total hours of sleep in a 24 hour period renders this high-performance? Can we compensate an 8 hour night with a 4 hour nap? Or do they propose the benefit comes from the long stretch of sleep at night?

I eat dinner here around 8-9 and I think it's perfect, I can't even imagine eating at 6 anymore. What a rush to get dinner done! I'm around a lot of kids, and most eat at this time and are in bed at 10pm (when they fall asleep is another question). On a school day up at 8 to get to school at 9 means between 9-10 hours of sleep, that's not bad. But what I find though is that one kid in particular (recently turned 3) will take 3-4 hour naps! I haven't had such close contact with young kids in the US as I do here, but that used to seem like a really long nap to me. Maybe it's not.

Anyway, thanks for sharing. As a side not for the original topic: when I go back to the US, I can't have dinner with people anymore. Several times I've made loose plans for "dinner tomorrow," only to be jolted back to reality when the friend calls me at 5:30 asking where I want to me. !!!

I can't remember exactly, but I am pretty sure that it was undisturbed sleep during the night.