A great night’s sleep is important not only to a better day, but it is also a significant ingredient in a healthy life. Of course, this is what we want for ourselves and for our children. Yet, if your kids aren’t getting the sleep that they need, odds are you aren’t getting the 40 winks you need either. When children don’t get enough sleep, their mind is less clear and their immune system can be compromised. This is no different for adults.
There are many reasons why your child might not be getting the sleep they need. The mattress they are sleeping on might be seriously uncomfortable, making it difficult for your kids to fall asleep. Your child could be suffering from some type of abnormal sleeping pattern. Maybe they had a full day of school, homework, and friends, which should leave them tired, but has left your child with excess energy to burn. Whatever it is, your child isn’t sleeping, which is leaving you with restless nights as well.
We decided to investigate further and one or more of the following things might be stopping your child from sleeping well through the night.
- Check The Mattress – Why not go for the most obvious culprit? More than not, people do not rest well through the night simply because their mattress fights them every step of the way. The things you should be checking for are allergic reactions and the type of support offered. Check out this link if you are looking for a good mattress for your kids. When it comes to purchasing a new mattress for your child, there are several types to choose from including memory foam options and latex innerspring mattresses.
Another choice for making your child’s sleeping area more comfortable would be to add a mattress protector. While this option might hit your pocketbook a bit more, a mattress protector can help with allergens and regulating the temperature of your child’s bed.
- Make the Room Sleepable – Another way to ensure your children sleep through the night is to make sure their bedroom is ready for slumber time. The temperature should be comfortable and to their personal liking and the lights should be off completely, of course, a nightlight is okay for kids who are scared in the dark. Some suggest putting a fan in the room on a low speed because the sound can lull a child to sleep.
Most importantly, in order to keep the room conducive to sleep you must do this…
- Unplug It All – In a world where we all seem attached to some screen and most points of the day, including right now as we read this post, the constant sensation leaves adults wired from looking at a computer all day. How is it any different for our kids? Between school laptops, smartphones, tablets, and televisions, our children spend more time looking at a screen than at the world around them.
This is the reality in our world and it isn’t going to lessen any time soon. Still, when bedtime hits, it is recommended that we shut it down. If this ritual will be a new thing to your child we realize taking these devices away for the night might be difficult, but in the long run they will be healthier for it, and let’s face it, our job as parents is making the tough decisions. Maybe set an example for them and shut your devices down at bedtime too, because everyone can benefit from a good night’s sleep.
- Read – Reading is good for us. We learn from reading, we reduce stress from reading, we improve our memory, and we acquire an improved vocabulary. Reading at bedtime helps our need for sleep as well by reducing stress. It is advised, if possible, to read from a real book instead of a reader since that would contradict our suggestion about shutting your devices down.
- A Snack Can Help – While we have been trained to think that eating before bedtime can result in unwanted weight gain, there is nothing wrong with a light snack to ignite some sleep in your child. We here at the SIMPLE moms are dedicated to helping you obtain the healthy life you desire, so we suggest you offer your child a piece of fruit or some yogurt opposed to a heavy meal or a sugary treat. The latter is not only an unhealthy choice, it will have the opposite result and a bowl of pasta or something heavy can promote acid reflux in the sleeper.
What other suggestions do you have for sleep?
