Sleep hygiene in your child plays a very important role in their overall growth and well-being. A study from the American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) shows that almost 1/4th of children under the age of 5 don’t get enough sleep. Sleep deprivation in your child can lead to several problems such as reduced brain development, a rise in negative emotions, allergic rhinitis, disturbed immunity, etc.

In this blog, we will discuss the meaning of sleep hygiene and why it is important for your child.

What is Sleep Hygiene?

Sleep hygiene is an overall environmental setup that helps a person sleep properly. It includes all the habits that lead to your child’s bedtime, food and drink intake, routine for the day, exposure to technology and his/her sleeping environment.

In other words, it is not only the time when your child goes to sleep. It encapsulates all the activities they partake in throughout the day, the environment they live in and the entire lifestyle that makes up for their sleep hygiene.

What is the Recommended Sleep Time for Your Child?

Children of different age groups require different hours of sleep. Several organisations have laid down the recommended hours of sleep for your child’s needs. Here’s a general overview of the same:

Child’s Age	Recommended Sleep Time
New-borns up to 3 months	14-17 hours
Infants from 4 – 12 months	12-16 hours
Toddlers up to 2 years	11-14 hours
Preschool age between 3-5 years	10-13 hours
Children between 6-12 years	9 – 12 hours
Teens between 13- 18 years	8 – 10 hours

What is the Importance of Sleep Hygiene in Children?

Proper sleep hygiene in children is very crucial for their overall physical and mental growth. A good night’s sleep improves your child’s productivity as well as their quality of life. It plays an important role in developing your child’s young mind, which also improves their attention span, cognitive performance mood and resiliency. If you are a parent of a toddler, proper sleep will help your child develop their motor skills, memory consolidation and strengthening of muscles.

What Happens if Your Child Doesn’t Get Proper Sleep?

When your child doesn’t get adequate sleep time, they can start showing signs of Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD. Sleep deprivation makes your child irritated, causes mood swings and an increase in negative emotions. Inadequate sleep also makes them lose focus on their day-to-day activities.

In simple words, the prolonged continuation of sleep deprivation can hinder the overall growth of a kid, including their mental and physical well-being.

Tips to Help Your Child Have a Good Night’s Sleep

Good sleep doesn’t just mean getting your child to bed on time. It should be a deep sleep that makes your child feel well-rested and helps them restore their energy. If your child has been showing signs of insomnia, you can try the following tips to improve their sleep cycle.

●Cut down on screen time for at least an hour before bedtime and after they wake up.

●Cut down the use of caffeine as it prevents sleep. Fizzy or energy drinks, cola, tea, and coffee contain high amounts of caffeine.

●Avoid heavy meals at night as they can lead to disrupted sleep. You can serve light meals or keep a sufficient gap of 3-4 hours between your child’s dinner and bedtime.

●Follow a fixed sleep routine. It would adjust your child’s body clock to that time, making them want to sleep at the same time every day.

●Add some physical activity to their routine to tire them out at the end of the day so that they can sleep as soon as they hit the bed.

●Dim the lights and give them a cup of warm milk before their sleep time.

●Help them learn to self-settle and go back to bed if they wake up in the middle of the night. Even if you find it emotionally challenging at first, it would help your child in becoming self-dependent.

●Remove toys and other games from their sleeping space. Lack of enjoyment in the sleeping space lulls children to fall asleep faster.

Conclusion

Proper sleep hygiene is important not just for your child but for everyone else. If you have been constantly trying to improve your child’s sleeping habits without any results, do not administer any sleep medication to them. Most of these medicines are heavy drugs which are not safe for a child. Instead, visit a paediatrician and get your child diagnosed to reach the root cause of their concerns.

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