Healthy Sleep Habits
Healthy sleep habits are essential as regular sleep deprivation can lead to difficult behaviors and health issues. This is especially true of children as they need more sleep as their minds and bodies are developing. Sleep deprivation can lead to difficulty concentrating, irritability, hypertension, obesity, headaches, depression, and poor school performance.
How much sleep do kids need?
Younger children need much more sleep than teenagers. Some of this sleep comes in the form of naps during the day so it doesn’t necessarily mean say 12 hours of sleep at night. Even though teenagers require less sleep than younger children, they still require 8-10 hours of sleep each night.
Source: healthychildren.org
Healthy Sleep Habit Tips
- Keep to a regular schedule: wake, dress, breakfast, brush teeth, off to school, home from school, homework, dinner, relax time, bedtime
- Establish a bedtime routine of bath, brush teeth, story/reading time, and lights out
- End screen time at least an hour before the start of the bedtime routine
- Dim lights in the house before bedtime
- Limit naps for children over the age of 5 years
- Have them get plenty of natural light during the day
- Encourage physical activity during the day
- Avoid overscheduling activities like this can lead to stress and decreased downtime before bedtime
- Establish the bed as a place to sleep not play
- Make the bedroom feel safe by allowing one or two favorite items in the bed, crack the door, or use a dim night light if necessary
- Feed them the right amount of food at the right time. Feeling hungry or too full can make it harder to fall asleep.
- Limit liquids before bedtime to avoid accidents or trips to the bathroom during the night
- Avoid caffeinated beverages in the late afternoon and evening
- Don’t put your baby to bed with a bottle of juice, milk, or formula. Use water instead to avoid baby bottle tooth decay.
Beware of Sleep Issues
- Difficulty falling asleep
- Waking up during the night
- Snoring
- Resisting bedtime
- Sleep apnea
- Heavy breathing while sleeping
- Difficulty paying attention during the day
- Falling asleep during school
By developing healthy sleep habits, your child can avoid these sleep issues. If observe any sleep issues with your child, discuss them with your pediatrician.
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