As the day ends, some parents are preparing for a serious task – to get their insomniac child to sleep.
Lack of sleep is bad for children whose bodies are still developing. Focusing on their studies, memory lapses, and socializing are common problems for youngsters. As they grow this develops into serious mental health problems and medical conditions,
As parents, you can turn things around. There are ways to help your tykes find sleep to enjoy a blissful rest.
Understanding Sleep Problems in Children
You were once a child and you remember the frustrations of sleep problems when you tossed and turned to no avail and woke up in the middle of the sleep. Fortunately, you know that sleep behavior is linked with bedtime routines and daytime activities. And you can teach your youngsters a thing or two to get on track for restful nights.
With a bit of detective work on their daytime habits and rituals before bedtime, you will have an idea what caused the absence or lack of sleep.
A day filled with interesting activities pumped up the juices of your kid till bedtime. A sip of green tea mixed with honey will be a welcome drink for your hyperactive patient. The antioxidants will calm down the perked up nerves and bring your kid to slumberland in a jiffy.
Make sure that the room is comfy for sleep. A low-level light will take away the fright from a kid afraid of the dark. Check the temperature, it should be slightly cool, a 65 degrees reading will do. An overloaded bed with playthings will distract his attention and keep him awake, leave about two as his companion.
A heavy meal an hour before bedtime will make the kid feel restless. An empty stomach will keep the youngster awake, milk and a banana will do the trick.
Insomnia in children
Insomnia is a deprivation of sleep because of trouble falling or staying asleep during bedtime. Often the parents notice their youngster struggle with their daytime activities, here are other symptoms:
- Difficulty with hitting the sack and falling asleep.
- Sleeps during the day.
- Trouble focusing on school or home activities.
- Error or accident prone.
- Mood swings and easily gets irritated.
- Easily forget things.
- Show signs of depression.
If this is your kid, you have an insomniac in the family. This usually happens when they don’t go to bed on time and linger awake at night. Enforce a strict bedtime rule with no bargaining for a glass of water, story-telling, or bathroom trips. If bedtime is 9 p.m. the kid should be tucked in during this time, all whims and favors should have been done before the schedule. If this doesn’t work extend this by 30 minutes, the body clock might still be on and it will this time to turn it off.
Avoid a short video for kids, tablets, and other electronic devices. The blue light released from these gadgets interrupts the body’s sleep period making it tough to find sleep.
A child who can’t stay in bed but can sleep in their parent’s bed isn’t typically best for parents. Try the “the night of 100 walks” fix, every time he enters your room walk him back whispering “It’s sleep time my love, I’ll see you in the morning.” Do this during the night visits even if it takes over 100 walk-backs, you’ll notice that this will taper until there’s none.
Tips for Better Sleep
If kids can’t sleep parents usually keep up with them. This becomes a battle when their pint-sized frames won’t abide by the body clock. Here are some inspirations on what parents can do to win the fight.
Smart nap schedule
Allow some 30 minutes of nap at most, it might keep them awake if they sleep more than this. Children would benefit from this if they have insufficient sleep at night, they will feel recharged when they rest their bodies.
Get them moving
Let them play their favorite sport, take the dog for a walk, run around, and anything that will get them moving. About 60 minutes a day of expending the energy will make them tired and sleepy ready for bedtime.
Keep them secure at night
A quiet night light will take away the scare from children who are afraid of the dark. Avoid horror movies and scary computer games can help.
Avoid caffeine
Discourage your children to ingest caffeine which is in energy drinks, tea, chocolate, coffee, and soda pops.