If you haven’t heard the term sleep hygiene before, it refers to routines and habits that you perform before going to bed. These habits can actually help you in getting a good sleep. So what are those 10 things that your child should do in order to sleep well?
Let’s explore these sleep hygiene tips!
1. Set a routine bedtime and wake up time
Setting a specific bedtime and wake up time can help the children in creating a routine, which makes it easier for them to go to sleep. Their body adjusts accordingly and you won’t have to put extra effort for making them sleep at night or getting them up at night.
2. Let them relax
After the entire day of robustness, children need to calm down before they can turn their conscious mind off. For that, you can either read them a story or let them read the book on their own, depending upon their age and preferences.
3. Have a complete bedtime routine
Don’t expect your children to go to bed and sleep right away. You’ll have to set up a routine for them. Include relaxing activities or discussion time every night on the bed. This will help them in preparing their mind that it is time to sleep.
4. Light in the room should be dim
Although, the light in the room can vary with the choice of your kids, but don’t keep it extra lit, as it would create problems for them in closing their eyes. Similarly, making it too dark can scare them off, which is again not a good idea for a good sleep.
5. Day naps should be avoided
If your kids are above the age of 5, then daytime naps should be kept smaller or completely avoided. This will help them in having a sound sleep at night.
6. Reduce caffeine intake
Nowadays, children are quite fond of energy drinks and coffee. These beverages contain caffeine and can cause sleep disorders in your kids. Thus, it is necessary that caffeine intakes should be restricted depending on the age of your child.
7. Give them food at the right time
Feeling hungry or too full while sleeping can be another reason which can impact sleep. Consider the time difference between dinner and sleep time to ensure your child has a good sleep at night.
8. Create a pleasant sleep environment
By pleasant we mean that the bed should be comfortable for the kids. Excessive lights must be off. TV and other devices should not be around your kid at the bedtime. Use dim lights or night lights for children in case they wake up throughout the night or are scared of the dark.
9. Expose children to daylight
Sunlight is beneficial towards kid’s health. Allowing exposure to sunlight throughout the day can help your child’s body maintain a healthy body clock to know when to sleep.
10. Encourage them to exercise
Another important thing that can help in sleep improvement is exercise. It can be done at any time of the day. Exercise can be physically tiring therefore at night, your child may find it easier to fall asleep. Exercise, such as yoga, can even be used to relax the body before bed.
Low amounts of sleep and/or poor quality of sleep can impact your child’s alertness throughout the day. Poor sleep quality can also impact your child’s overall health as it does not allow your child’s body to rest. Try the above sleep hygiene tips and comment below which ones work best for your child.