Sleep
Does your Child have difficulty Getting to Sleep or Staying Asleep? Advice for Tired Parents.
Sleep is an essential part of everyone’s daily routine. When children have difficulty getting to sleep or have disrupted sleep, it can sometimes be very difficult for parents to manage. What can be done to improve the situation?
Many parents worry about whether they are doing the right thing if their child doesn’t sleep soundly through the night. Sleeping patterns and bedtime routines vary between different families and cultures.
Following is some information about sleep that may help parents who have children that have difficulty sleeping.
SOME FACTS ABOUT SLEEP
There are 2 main types of sleep; light sleep and deep sleep.
Light sleep is when we dream and the brain goes over the day’s events and learning. It is the kind of sleep where we wake more easily.
Deep sleep is where growing and healing take place in the body and it is harder to wake someone in this kind of sleep.
Infants mostly sleep in light sleep and as children grow, the amount of light sleep they have reduces, until in adolescence, when light sleep is only about 20% of sleep each night.
HOW MUCH SLEEP IS NEEDED?
Children need different amounts of sleep, depending on their age.
For children 3-6 years of age, 10-12 hours sleep is recommended.
For children 7-12 years old, 10-11 hours sleep is recommended.
For adolescents 12-18 years of age, 8-9 hours sleep is recommended.
At any age, children may need to sleep longer if they have had a particularly busy or active day.
ROUTINES
Routines help greatly by preparing children for bedtime and settling them down to allow them to fall asleep faster.
It is helpful to work out a routine based around what is special for your child and family. A typical routine may look something like a bath, drink, cleaning teeth, cuddle and a story, a song or prayer and kiss goodnight.
Having a routine that is the same every day allows the child to settle down and prepare themselves for sleep.
It is important that exercise, exciting games, tickles or wrestling are not done any time near bedtime, as the child may have trouble settling down to go to sleep.
NIGHT WAKING
Night waking is quite common in young children and there are different ways to manage this. Strategies that work will depend on the child.
Try to resettle your child in their own bed, if possible.
If your child comes into your room when waking at night, take them gently back to their own bed and try to resettle them there.
Although only a temporary solution, sometimes having a trundle bed in your child’s room for Mum or Dad can help reassure the child when they won’t resettle.
Children may need more reassurance at night when they are sick or experiencing stresses in life (such as starting a new school, moving house, family disruptions etc.). Parents may feel like progress is going backwards at these times, but patience will pay off and children will become more independent when things settle down.
WHAT CAN YOU DO IF YOU ARE CONCERNED THAT YOUR CHILD IS HAVING DIFFICULTY GETTING TO SLEEP OR STAYING ASLEEP?
If parents are concerned that the strategies they are using are not working and their child has a sleep problem that is not improving, it is a good idea to consult the family GP to make sure the child is well and rule out any health problems that may be contributing. A Psychologist can also help by conducting a comprehensive assessment of the situation and working closely with parents to develop strategies to assist with bedtime and sleeping.
If you are concerned that your child is having difficulties with their sleeping or if you would like to know more about sleep difficulties, please don't hesitate to contact us