SLEEPING TIPS FOR CHILDREN

A relaxing bedtime routine is one important way to help your child get a good night's sleep.

Relaxation tips to help sleep

Doing the same relaxing things in the same order and at the same time each night helps promote good sleep: 

• A warm (not hot) bath will help your child relax and get ready for sleep.
• Keeping lights dim encourages your child's body to produce the sleep hormone, melatonin.
• Once they are in bed, encourage your child to read quietly or listen to some relaxing music, or read a story together.
• You could also suggest your child tries a relaxing deep breathing exercise before bed.

Know how much sleep your child needs

The amount of sleep your child needs changes as they get older.

A 5-year-old needs about 11 hours a night, for example, while a 9-year-old needs roughly 10 hours.

Avoid screens in the bedroom 

Tablets, smartphones, televisions and other electronic gadgets can affect how easily children get to sleep.

Older children may also stay up late or even wake in the middle of the night to use social media.

Try to keep your child's bedroom a screen-free zone, and get them to charge their phones in another room.

Your child's bedroom

Your child's bedroom should ideally be dark, quiet and tidy. It should be well ventilated and kept at a temperature of about 20C to 24C.

Fit some thick curtains to block out any daylight. If there is noise outside, consider investing in double glazing or, for a cheaper option, offer your child earplugs.

Turn off the television set two hours before bed-time

It has been shown that the light from a television screen, phone, or computer monitor can interfere with the production of the hormone, melatonin. Melotonin is an important piece of sleep-wake cycles. When melatonin levels are at their highest, most people are sleepy and ready for bed. Just a half an hour of television or other screen time before bed can disrupt that enough to keep your child up an extra two hours.

Reduce the focus on sleep

Just like adults, kids can have trouble shutting their brains off for the night. Instead of increasing that anxiety by insisting it is time to sleep, consider focusing more on the idea of relaxation and calming your child’s body down.

Provide protection from fears

Instead of dismissing bedtime fears, address them. If simple reassurance does not work, you can try buying a special toy to stand guard at night. 

Get help with sleep problems

If you have tried these tips but your child keeps having problems getting to sleep or sleeping through the night, you may feel you want more support.

You can speak to your family doctor to begin with. They may refer you to a child psychologist or another expert.

Teens and sleep

Your child's sleep may change when they become a teenager. 

Teenagers are programmed to stay up later, and to get up later than the rest of us.

This would not be a problem if your teenager did not have to get up early for school.

These early morning wake up times mean they are not getting the 8 to 9 hours sleep they need. The result is a tired and cranky teenager.

For better teen sleep

Catching up on sleep at weekends is not ideal. Late nights and long lie-ins will just disrupt your teenager's body clock even more.

However tired they feel, teenagers should avoid lie-ins at the weekend. They should also get out into the daylight during the day. 

Both these things will help to keep their body clock regular, and make it easier to go to sleep earlier and wake up at a reasonable time.

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