Children's sleep is an important building block for your child's mental and physical health. However, if you are struggling to help your child fall asleep, you are not alone.
According to estimates by the American Academy of Pediatrics, sleep-related problems affect 25-50% of children and 40% of adolescents.*
The very first step in ensuring good sleep for your children is understanding their sleep needs.
By paying serious attention to sleep hygiene, an age-appropriate daily routine, and addressing any sleep disorders, you can help your child grow up healthy and strong.
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Why is sleep important for children?
Sleep plays an important role in the development of a child's mind. Furthermore, research shows that sleep affects a child's alertness and attention, their performance, mood and resilience, vocabulary growth, as well as learning and memory development. Sleep has a positive effect on a child's growth, and this effect is especially evident during early infancy. Sleep in children is essential for memory consolidation and the development of attention skills.
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What happens if children don't get enough sleep?
Every parent knows that hyperactive children who get little sleep or experience sleep disorders suffer from attention deficit and depression.
Lack of sleep can also affect a child's ability to concentrate, which in turn negatively impacts their school performance. Even a slight lack of sleep can affect your child's daily life.
According to the AAP, a quarter of children under 5 do not get enough sleep. This is alarming, as poor sleep, especially in early childhood, can cause allergic rhinitis and immune system problems, as well as anxiety and depression.
In particular, there is evidence that poor sleep in childhood can increase the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure in the future.
Poor sleep in adolescents can affect their long-term academic performance and mental health.
Tips for ensuring your child gets a full night's sleep
As a child grows, their sleep patterns change. Research shows that maintaining a consistent bedtime routine helps your child get enough sleep, whether you are dealing with a two-year-old toddler or a stubborn teenager.
Whatever activities you choose, try to follow the same routine every day so your child knows what to expect.
A typical bedtime routine includes:
- Turning off computers, TV screens, video games, and other bright lights;
- Putting on pajamas and brushing teeth;
- Reading a light book, singing a lullaby, or taking a shower;
- Choosing a safe, soft blanket with animal pictures for little ones;
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The best time to put your child to bed is not when they are forced to go to bed, but when they fall asleep voluntarily. This helps them learn to fall asleep on their own.
If preschool-aged children wake up in the middle of the night, return them to their beds. Whenever possible, children and adults should have separate beds, as co-sleeping with a child increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome.
