Helping Parents Understand Their Children’s Sleep Problems

  1. How Bad Sleeping Habits Can Affect Children
  2. Effects Of Children Sleeping Poorly
  3. Why Do Children Have Trouble Sleeping?
  4. Children Sleeping Problems
  5. How can children sleep so much?
  6. Why do children like to stay up late?
  7. Why is sleep so important for children?
  8. Sleep Disturbances In Autistic Children – Tips For Parents
  9. The Importance Of A Good Sleep Routine For Children
  10. How To Get Sleep With Infant Twins
  11. 3 Signs Your Child Isn’t Getting Enough Sleep
  12. Sleep Talking And Sleep Walking In Children
  13. When Are Kids Too Old To Sleep With Their Parents
  14. Bruxism – When Children Grind Teeth In Their Sleep
  15. New Hope For Sleep Disorders In Autistic Children
  16. How To Get Your Co-Sleeping Child To Transition To Their Own Bed
  17. Physical And Emotional Effects Of Co-Sleeping With Children
  18. Sleep Disorders In Children
  19. Funny Ways Moms Can Get Kids To Sleep
  20. How To Help Your Autistic Child Go To Sleep

 

So what specific sleeping habits would benefit children and teenagers directly? At this age, sleep is more important to children between the ages of 5 and 18 than it is to adults and even babies. It is the time where children and teens grow and change the most, and this can only happen t if they are given optimum sleeping conditions.

Children between five and eleven should be getting roughly 10 to 12 hours of sleep a night. At this age, they are also more likely not to want to go to bed when their “bedtime” is, its extremely important that you don’t slack on enforcing the rules. Not only does this help them understand the importance of sleeping at the right time, but it also ensures they get the right amount of sleep so they are fully refreshed the next day. This may be hard if they find it difficult to fit all the extra activities such as homework or school clubs in the day, in which case their bedtimes can be extended a little bit but not too much.

Making sure they don’t have anything in their rooms that could distract them from sleeping is also important. Things such as TVs or computers should be prohibited during bedtime. It is also better to try to get them to sleep with the lights fully off as there are studies with results suggesting it is more beneficial.

At this age, more emphasis should be placed on teaching them why resting is important. For them to go to bed without resistance, you must let them know that sleeping at the right time is good for them, along with other good sleeping habits.

So as a summary of good sleeping habits in children:

  1. On average they should sleep 11 hours every night. Be sure they go to bed 11 to 12 hours before they have to be up in the morning.
  2. They should have regular sleeping and waking times every day.
  3. It is important to reduce the chance of anything in their rooms distracting them during the night when they should be sleeping such as a television, computer, or handheld devices.
  4. Sleeping with the lights off is important, a night light may be used as long as it is low light.

Puberty is when the most growth is observed mentally and physically so sleeping habits in teenagers is the most important out of all ages. If they get their sleeping habits right at this age, they are much more likely to stick with it for the rest of their lives. This will be a major benefit for them in terms of health. Another reason why getting the right amount of sleep is important is that growth hormones are scientifically proven to be released by the body during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.

The optimal time that teenagers (age 13-19) should be getting is between 9-10 hours a night, with a possible half an hour power nap during the day if they are still tired.

One factor that was mentioned above is the importance of reducing distractions when they should be sleeping. Things like instant messaging and texting can cause massive loss of sleep which is disastrous when you consider sleep’s importance. With all the important exams and various grades that happen at this stage in life, it is essential teenagers get the right amount of sleep.

A couple of extra habits that are relevant to children and teenagers around this age are:

  1. Try to avoid caffeine, especially if it is near bedtime as this can cause disruptions to sleeping patterns.
  2. Only use your bed for sleeping in, try not to read, listen to music or text when you’re in bed as this could disassociate the bed with sleeping.

What’s the appropriate time?

Doctors suggest that sleep is something that is essential for a human mind and body. There is nobody on earth who can live a healthy life, work, play and enjoy the beauty of life unless he gets a good night’s sleep. Many doctors say that the appropriate time for sleep is at least nine hours. No matter how hectic your life is, you must always have at least nine hours of sleep. Children of less than 5 years of age sleep need more than nine hours because their body is adapted to it. Adults, on the other hand, need nine hours sleep. More than nine hours, we’ll gain weight and will be lazy all the time. Less than nine hours of sleep, and we end up sleepy during lectures, office work, or even during lunch.

Are you facing them?

There are some major issues if you and your children, of every age, don’t get enough sleep. They include:

  • Accidents due to negligence while driving.
  • Injuries because of being inattentive to the surroundings.
  • Attitude and behavior issues.
  • Learning and memorizing issues.
  • No concentration.
  • Lose of appetite.
  • Slower metabolism of the body.

If you or your children are facing these problems, it is important to get some good sleep on a daily basis. Not only grownups but children may have problems if they don’t get enough sleep. Be sure you and your children aren’t having these problems if you want a healthy mind and a body.

A healthy mind needs a healthy body

We have often heard “a healthy mind needs a healthy body”. But have we ever really considered this fact? Sleep is a very important factor in our routine. If we don’t get enough sleep, we might be stressed out and obese. And all of this may cause some brain damage as well. Can we really afford this malfunction in our body in such a fast forward life?

Some usual problems

Here are some problems can happen if you have less or a little more than usual sleep:

  • Snoring
  • Sleepwalking
  • Nightmares
  • Breathing pauses during sleep
  • Waking up at night
  • Dozing off in the middle of the day
  • Lack of good performance throughout the day

These are very minor problems that children face if they don’t get enough, or if they get more than enough sleep. Children might also suffer from insomnia, a disease when you don’t sleep enough, and thus suffer from other major brain diseases. You need to be extra careful about your children’s sleep as it is a very important part of their life.

Tips and suggestions

There are some tips and suggestions that can help your children’s sleeping problems go away. They are:

  • Establishing a bedtime: when you let your children know that they have to go to bed at a certain time at night, they usually get in a habit of sleeping well in the time period you’ve chosen for them.
  • Reduction of noise: whenever the children go to bed, make sure to reduce the noise level of the house. Even if you have guests over, don’t give in if the children want to stay up late and eavesdrop while you chat with the guests.
  • Take their attractions away: don’t forget to remove attractions like television, video games, or mobile phones from their bedrooms when the children go to bed.
  • Avoid heavy meals: don’t make your children eat a very heavy meal at night as it doesn’t do them good. They might have problems digesting the food and might stay awake because of that.

These suggestions can help keep your children safe from sleeping problems, but enforcing them is a responsibility that lies upon your shoulders as parents!