Did you know that a lot of children deal with sleeping problems? Just like adults, kids can have difficulties falling asleep or sleeping through the night. And they experience the same problems as adults because of this. It is extremely important for our health to have a good night’s sleep. That is why we want to share our knowledge on sleeping problems. Whether you introduce a cooling pillow for kids, a stricter nighttime regime, or just a listening ear: you can do a lot to help your child sleep better at night.
The Importance Of Sleep
Every single person needs to have a good night’s sleep to be able to function properly. During the night, our body and our mind restore and process the events of the day. Not getting enough sleep, or having a bad night, can impact this process immediately. After just one bad night, you can already experience a negative change in mood, concentration, memory, attention, and energy. If these bad nights occur more often, you can even experience problems with the immune system, coordination, and depression. And this doesn’t only apply to adults. Children can experience these problems too when their sleep is not optimal.
Children, on average, need a solid 10 to 12 hours of sleep every single night. They benefit from a regular schedule with set times for eating, learning, playing, and sleeping. This way, the body can prepare itself for sleep. This will improve sleep quality and make it easier to even fall asleep. Unfortunately, not every child has the best possible sleep at night.
Sleeping Problems In Children
There are quite a few factors that can contribute to your child not getting enough sleep. Some factors influence the amount of sleep the child gets, but some things can also interrupt sleep during the night.
No Willingness To Go To Sleep
Some children find it hard to go to sleep and distance themselves from their parents, toys, or certain activities. They can go to great lengths to stay up a little while longer. Children can make it a habit to cry out for their parents, get out of bed or get angry. This is a behavioral problem that needs to be addressed. The child won’t know the importance of a good night’s sleep, but the parents do.
Night Terrors
Some kids are prone to night terrors. These night terrors can disrupt sleep, and it is important to know the difference between a nightmare and a night terror. A nightmare is just a bad dream. The child can become emotional, but usually after waking up. Having a chat and comforting them can make it easier to put them back to sleep quickly. A night terror is something else. The child acts agitated, emotional, panicked, and sometimes aggressive and might look awake, but they are not. It can last up to 15 minutes and happen frequently.
Sleepwalking
Sleepwalking can happen in kids and adults. It has some similarities with night terrors. The child doesn’t know what they are doing, and it is important to keep them safe.
Irregular Sleeping Pattern
Regularity is key with kids, and this goes for their bedtime as well. If a child does not go to bed at the same time each night, it can make it more difficult to fall asleep.
How To Help Your Child To Sleep Better
As you can see, there are quite some things that can go wrong when it comes to the sleeping habits of your child. Luckily, there are also many things that you can do as a parent to help your child sleep better.
When your child has the habit of making a fuss whenever it is bedtime, it is up to you as the parent to set strict boundaries. The child needs to know when it’s time to go to sleep. It might be hard to address this issue and no longer indulge the child, but it is for the best. If you want to know how you can effectively change these behaviors, please consult a health care professional.
If your child is a restless sleeper, like many children are, you can try to improve their sleep with a memory foam mattress for kids. This type of mattress can form itself to the body shape of your child and reduce motion transfer. This will improve the quality of sleep a lot. A cooling pillow for kids can also add to the sleep quality. It provides the child with a cool pillow all through the night.
When your child is prone to night terrors or sleepwalking, it is important to understand that this is not something that you can prevent or stop. Just make sure the child is safe and comforted. Do not attempt to wake the child up. It will just add more confusion and emotions into the mix.
In short: make sure your child has a comfortable bed, like the ones from Plufl, for instance, with a memory foam mattress for kids, in a room that they feel safe in. Stick to a certain nighttime routine and a regular bedtime to give your child a chance to prepare for the night. This way, bedtime is something that the body and the mind are ready for.
