NURTURING GOOD SLEEP HABITS IN CHILDREN
Written by Feba Maryann
The famous American rapper, NAS, had mentioned in one of his songs of an album-” I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death’’. While that may be true figuratively, that is quite not the case. Sleep is essential and is the bystander between your journey from life to death, and hence marks itself as a paramount requisite in your lifestyle.
A robust body and mind need an uncompromised schedule for eight hours of sleep, but unfortunately, the workload stress and lifestyle habits of this generation fail to keep up with it. And since 2020 gave us a lot of time to retrospect, it’s time for us to add to the prospects of inculcating good sleep practices like the ones which follow.
Don’t Miss The Fundamentals
Good sleep is a hodgepodge result of widely varying factors, such as a well-balanced diet, and regular exercise, etc. Make sure your child starts the day by eating a healthily teeming breakfast, a moderate lunch, and a light but filling dinner. Also, ensure your child does not sleep either on an empty stomach or brimming with food as this may cause discomfort.
Lights On! Lights Off!
Did you know that the kind of lighting that you use around your sleeping environment can influence your sleep pattern? This is because to sleep, the brain has to induce the sleep hormone- melatonin, whose production gets affected at the cost of high exposure to light. Hence, to employ the benefits for a better sleep environment choose lights with cooling tones.
Avoid Disruptions
When your child has settled down to finally sleep, do not cause distractions that can affect them. For example, avoid creating a noisy situation and try to keep all things dim and quiet. In this manner, children will get accustomed to falling asleep as soon as the sleep environment has been set up. Try using the help of blankets, as children can tend to fall asleep due to its weight on them.
Maintain A Sleep Hygiene
The task of establishing a course of practice to maintain continuous and undisturbed sleep goes by the name of fortifying your sleep hygiene. It refers to organizing routines, setting clean and copiously ventilated environments, avoiding distractions, etc.
Adapting To Our Biological Clock
Things are not always the same, so is our biological clock. So when it ticks at various intervals, we have to be all ears. This is what makes our lifestyle transitional, and it is for this very reason that we need to adjust to the natural sleep patterns of an infant. They are naturally drowsy, and unlike us, they sleep and wake up regularly regardless of the hour of the day.
But, one way to make their sleep schedule rather more suitable to ours is by making them sleep in a well lit sunny room in the daytime and in a darker, and soothing room at night. In the case of slightly older children, there should be a solid bedtime that allows them to plan things accordingly.
Go Tech-Free!
The key to having a good night’s sleep is the resolution to avoid screen time well in advance before going to bed. The visual stimulation caused by the screens and other gadgets can result in obstructing the inflow of melatonin hormones produced by the brain, which in turn delays the process of falling asleep. Keeping in mind that it is better to feel already dozy before going to bed, should be the goal.
Cooler The Room, The Better The Sleep!
Sleep essentials include-cool tones for the eyes, cooler temperatures for the body, and the coolest pajamas for the mood to set in. never go wrong with the thickness of the blanket if you prefer using one.
Beds Are For Sleep!
It is supremely significant to make your child realize the purpose of a bed. Though, they might like to believe in their ability to be productive while working on a bed, employ the rule of using the bed only to sleep. Other activities such as learning, doing homework, or gaming should not be encouraged as well.
Say No To Caffeine
Caffeine can be a potential threat to clog the process of inducing the sleep hormone, melatonin. Especially, in the case of children, where hormonal imbalances are infelicitous, watch out for their night time diet. Caffeine can be found not just in coffee but also in other sources such as chocolates, soft drinks, etc. Ergo, look for healthier substitutes for dinner time desserts too.