Sleep Hygiene Tips
Many common sleep problems in children and adolescents can be avoided by making sleep a priority for everyone in the family.
The first step in effectively managing a sleep disorder is proper sleep hygiene, or practicing good sleep habits.
So sleep impacts all aspects of development.
So learning, children who are not sleeping well have difficulties paying attention in school, have difficulties processing or remembering information. So it's important to get enough sleep for children to learn.
Mood, if children aren't getting enough sleep, it's going to affect their mood which can impact their interactions both with their family as well with their peers. We know that when children sleep, growth hormone is released. So if a child has a sleep disorder like sleep apnea or a child who's not getting enough sleep, they may not be getting sufficient growth hormone released during sleep which may impact growth and development on a physiological level.
We also know that sleep is very important for immune functioning. So children who aren't sleeping as well, it may impact their ability to fight off the common cold or stay healthy during the winter.
The following are sleep hygiene tips that can help your child get a good night of sleep:
Maintain a regular sleep schedule with consistent bedtime and waking time each night, including weekends and vacations.
Create a relaxing, consistent bedtime routine that ends in the child’s bedroom.
Maintain a comfortable, quiet, and dark sleeping environment.
Avoid caffeine (including coffee, tea, and soda) after lunch, as caffeine has an arousing effect, making it difficult to fall asleep.
Avoid stimulating activities in the last hour before the child goes to sleep, including exercise, rough play, electronics, and mental activities.
Allow children to nap based on age and developmental needs only, and avoid long naps, frequent naps, or naps that end too close to bedtime.
Use the bed only for sleep, with a limited amount of time spent reading to help a child relax prior to lights out.
Ask your doctor which medicines to avoid if your child is having sleep problems, as many common medicines can cause excessive sleepiness or insomnia.
Make sleep a priority for every member of the family! Children are more likely to develop good sleep habits if their parents also follow the rules of sleep hygiene.
It is not always possible to maintain routine sleep hygiene, such as when a child has a sleepover at a friend’s house or goes on vacation. When possible, try to schedule these activities for Friday evenings, which allows your child Saturday evening to adjust and get back on a regular sleep schedule by Sunday for the upcoming week.
This information has been approved by Lisa Meltzer, PhD (March 2012)