Is it difficult for your child to fall asleep at night, or does she often wake up in the middle of the night and find it difficult to get back to sleep?
If your child has trouble sleeping, they will easily get tired, are not as active as kids their age, and are even prone to fall asleep during school time.
Lack of sleep has long been associated with serious health problems for children – from obesity, and diabetes, to heart disease. If you don’t want your little one to deal with these health issues, you need to start finding the best way to teach them to be able to do the deep sleep technique called sleep hygiene.
What is Sleep Hygiene?
Sleep hygiene is a practice carried out to build healthy sleeping habits. This sleep pattern can improve sleep quality by adopting healthy sleep habits to clear up all kinds of distractions that usually make you sleep deprived or have a bad sleep quality.
This healthy sleep pattern helps build better sleep habits and makes us more disciplined and consistent in adopting a healthier lifestyle to overcome sleep disorders such as insomnia.
Gradually, sleep hygiene can also help reduce the various negative consequences of sleep deprivation.
If your child is having trouble sleeping at night, you can also teach them to adopt sleep hygiene. Keep on reading below to know about how children can apply sleep hygiene to their everyday life.
1. Go to bed and wake up on a routine schedule (even on weekends!)
A constant schedule for going to bed and waking up is one of the most important first steps if you want your child to sleep better. As much as possible, schedule bedtime and wake up at the same time every day, even on holidays.
However, first, adjust it to the ideal night’s sleep duration for children. The average school-age child needs about 9-11 hours of sleep a day. For example, if your child needs to wake up at 5 AM every day, then you should have made sure your child is ready for bed by 8 PM.
By adhering to a regular sleep schedule every day, the child’s body becomes lighter and warmer, and the hormone cortisol is also released more regularly so that it gives him greater and longer-lasting energy.
2. Limit nap time
Children need naps to help meet their sleep needs. However, you have to be careful about setting the length of their nap time. If your child takes a nap, he will feel more refreshed at night and that’s going to make it harder for them to fall asleep at night.
Limit your child’s naps to a maximum of 30 minutes. Nap should also be done at the very least before 3 PM.
Though you should limit and be mindful of their nap time, keep in mind that napping is still important because it can help improve a child’s mood, focus, and energy.
3. Create a special ritual before your child goes to sleep
Spend 90 minutes preparing for bedtime before your child’s bedtime. For example, if you know your child is supposed to go to bed by 8 PM, stop any aggravating physical and mental activity like sports or schoolwork at 6 PM — the sooner the better.
Use this free time for your child to take a warm bath, drink milk, brush their teeth, and lastly take time to read their story before going to bed. A bedtime routine can be a daily reminder for your child to go to sleep each day.
A warm bath a few hours before bedtime can also help to raise body temperature, causing you to get sleepy after their body temperature drops.
4. Make your child’s bedroom as comfortable as possible
A comfortable, quiet, and cool room atmosphere can help children sleep better. The ideal room temperature for a good night’s sleep is around 20-22°C.
Thus it will be great if you can install an air conditioner in your children’s room – and make sure it is regularly maintained to keep the air conditioner in good working order.
You can find an aircon repair service provider nearby your house, and ask them to clean and maintain your air-conditioner at the very least every 3 months.
You can also bring your child to go shopping and ask them to choose their sheets, blanket, and other things to decorate their room as they like. Having the chance to personalize their bathroom as they like, will make your children feel much more comfortable sleeping in their own room.
Also, make sure you keep computers, TVs, and other electronic devices out of your child’s bedroom. The bright light emitted from electronic devices mimics the nature of the sun’s natural light.
As a result, the body’s biological clock perceives this light as a signal that it is still morning, and therefore the production of melatonin (a sleep-inducing hormone) is disrupted.
5. Limit food and drink consumption before bed
Avoid letting your child eat large portions of fatty or fried meals or drink carbonated drinks before bedtime. These types of food and drink can trigger indigestion in most people, especially children. This will make it easy for children to wake up in the middle of the night.
Also, avoid drinks or foods that contain caffeine such as chocolate and tea. The stimulant effects of caffeine can last for several hours. In addition to making it difficult for children to sleep at night, caffeine will also make them often wake up in the middle of the night due to restlessness.
These are some great tips to apply, so you can help your children sleep better. If your children still have difficulty sleeping, you can also teach them deep breathing techniques to help them relax and calm.
