Adolescence. Physical and mental changes in the child
From the age of 9-10 for girls and from 11-12 for boys, the most responsible period is adolescence.
Rapid growth and development, the formation of physical and mental abilities, human nature, will, and understanding of the world are observed from the age of 3 to adolescence. Adolescence and adolescence are sometimes referred to by the same term - puberty they argue. And this period lasts from 18 to 19 years for boys and from 16 to 17 years for girls. During this time, the body's balance is restored, growth stops, and the process of ossification reaches its final stages.
During puberty, boys weigh 34 kg, are 35 cm tall, and have a chest circumference of 25 cm. In girls, the body weight increases by 25 kg, height by 28 cm and chest circumference by 18 cm. Such changes allow the body to adapt to later life, and this is explained by the significant enlargement of the organs. At the same time, the body's adaptive organs, the nervous and endocrine systems, continue to grow and mature.
Maturation is not a simple process and is not always smooth. That is why adolescents need the help of their parents, who need constant supervision and support, and in some cases medical help.
By the age of 10, girls and boys develop the same, but from the age of 11, girls begin to lag behind boys in growth, reaching 1,6 cm in height and 1,7 kg in body weight. By the age of 12, girls outperform boys by almost all indicators, for example, the difference in body weight is around 2,9 kg, and the difference in height is 3,1 cm. At the age of 13, the figure is even higher.
However, from the age of 14, boys are ahead in physical development. This is due to the fact that girls reach puberty faster than boys, ie the growth rate in girls increases at the age of 10-13 years, and in boys at the age of 12-15 years. Adolescence alternates with puberty. Due to the increased function of the endocrine glands, puberty is observed in girls at the age of 12-13 years, and in boys at the age of 14-15 years. When this period begins, menstruation begins in girls, and boys produce sperm for the first time (probability).
In adolescents, the anatomical formation of the nervous system ends. By the age of 13-14, motion analyzers are fully formed, and this affects adolescents' mobility, agility, and ability to work.
Endocrine gland secretion stimulates skeletal muscle development. At the age of 10, children squeeze the palm of the dynamometer with a force of 16 kg, and by the age of 15 this figure reaches 35 kg. In girls, muscle strength increases from 12,5 kg to 28 kg when measured with a dynamometer. In girls, muscle strength reaches its maximum at the age of 15 years. At this age, adolescents tend to be rude and awkward because of the rapid development of the musculoskeletal system. Especially in boys, muscle thickness increases after the age of 15.
In adolescents, the heart enlarges rapidly. During adolescence, there is probably no organ that works as hard as the heart. Heart mass doubles between the ages of 10 and 16, and its volume increases 2 times. The heart's muscular system (myocardium) also develops strongly, pumping more blood into the arteries. Between the ages of 2,4 and 9, the volume of blood pumped by a single contraction of the heart increases from 17 ml to 37 ml in boys and from 70 ml to 35 ml in girls. The number of heartbeats gradually decreases. At the age of 60, a boy's heart beats 15 times a minute, while a girl's heart beats 1 times a minute. By the age of 70, the heart rate is between 1 and 72, which is the same as in adults. The change in the number of heartbeats is not the same. This is due to the growth of the body and weight gain. For example, while some girls progress in growth and development at the age of 18, their heart rate decreases as in adults, and girls who are slightly behind in growth at the age of 62 still have the same heart rate as school-age children. The same process takes place in boys.
It should also be noted that the size of the heart is not always proportional to the overall growth and development of the body. Sometimes the enlargement of the heart can lag behind the development of the body. This is why most adolescents experience fatigue, weakness, fatigue during exercise, and sometimes fainting. Symptoms of an imbalance in body development and heart enlargement are considered by some parents to be heart disease, and some parents restrict their children from engaging in any form of physical activity to protect them. And that’s a big mistake they make. The only way to balance body development and heart growth is to train teenagers to play sports and exercise regularly. Unfortunately, many modern teenagers (yes, even adults) today do not want to strain their muscles and have moved on to a sedentary lifestyle.
In many cases, boys and girls are ashamed of their subtleties and do not engage in physical education. As a result, adolescents develop a "droplet" heart, which means that if the child is not physically stressed, the heart will not grow to the same size.
There are also imbalances in the development of the cardiovascular system, the volume of blood pumped and the size of the blood vessels. As a result, blood pressure rises slightly during adolescence, for example, at 10 years of age, blood pressure is 95/55 in girls, 17/120 at 65 years of age, and 115/60 in boys.
Another of the changes in the cardiovascular system during adolescence is a disorder of the nervous regulation of the heart. This condition is explained by the reconstruction of the nervous and endocrine systems in the body. As a result of this change, the heart rate increases or decreases.
The above conditions do not last long and pass quickly. However, any changes in the cardiovascular system should not be ignored by parents. This is because it is more common in frail children and those suffering from chronic diseases (tonsillitis, sinusitis, pharyngitis, dental caries). Chronic diseases can lead to serious diseases of the cardiovascular system in the future.
In addition, parents need to make sure that their teenage children do not become mentally stressed. Because a lot of mental work and a sedentary lifestyle, adolescents can have a negative impact on vascular tone. As a result, in the future hypertonia or hypotension. Therefore, during adolescence, the child should rest on time, follow a daily routine and exercise regularly to prevent brain fatigue.
The International Congress sets the daily mental labor hours for school-age children at no more than 7-8 hours, which is for older students. For younger students, even 6-7 hours is stressful.
The researchers found that each student spent an average of 18 hours (lying down or sitting) in a sedentary position. There are only 6 hours left for physical activity. However, it is much better to exercise to the maximum during these 6 hours.
What should high school students do in their spare time?
It is true that high school students, in their spare time, unfortunately do not engage in physical education. Most of them sit in comfortable seats in front of a TV or computer. This leads to hypodynamics.
The most pressing issue of the modern generation is the acceleration of growth and development. Acceleration - This is the acceleration of growth and development of young people compared to previous generations.
In modern science, an evolving organism is a complex process of self-regulation, a process that takes place according to the organism's genetic program. Any child's age-related changes, organ development, and specific functions are "recorded" in the child's genetic factors.
The acceleration of puberty does not depend on race, climate or place of residence. The widespread beliefs of southern peoples about sexual maturity, which are sometimes found in the medical literature, are in fact scientifically unproven hypotheses. Socio-economic conditions and changes in food quality are important in this regard.
Acceleration poses a number of challenges in education, especially for adolescents. Modern parents also face some "conflicts" in raising their children. Adolescents are indifferent to their parents and do not want to be treated like children, thinking that the nature and worldview of young people is broader than the intellectual world of adults. Therefore, in the upbringing of adolescents, first of all, it is necessary to help them to respect material values, to work, to cultivate a sense of responsibility for themselves and others.
