health
kept regular every day of the week,
including weekends. At weekends,
children are often allowed to stay
up later, and ‘sleep in’ the following
morning. This, as far as our sleep and
body clock is concerned, is a major
disrupter at this young age, and shifting
their body clock even by one hour at
weekends can produce the same sleep
deprivation symptoms.
To ensure that your child is
developing healthily, and happily,
parents need to be the ones that set
the boundaries around sleep and stick
to them. Knowing how important it is,
there should be very little wiggle room.
Children always respond better when
they know the rules. Be consistent with
your little one about bedtimes, and
talk to them about the importance of
sleep. Be positive when you talk about
it, to encourage them to think of it as
a positive thing that helps us grow and
makes us happy.
Here are some tips to help ensure
a calm and relaxed bedtime:
Set and stick to a consistent bedtime
routine, including calming activities that
your child enjoys. This routine, which
ideally should last around 30 minutes,
will act as a ‘cue’ for your child's brain
to know when it’s time to prepare for
sleep. If, from reading this you have
realised that your child is not getting
enough sleep, then try gradually moving
their bedtime forward by 15 minutes
every 4 days, moving the bedtime
routine with it. It takes some time for
the body clock to adjust to a new
schedule, so suddenly moving bedtime
one hour earlier would result in a one-
hour battle with a non-sleepy child!
If your child experiences any anxiety,
introducing a 5-minute talk time into
the routine, discussing positive things,
like their favourite thing that happened
today, and what they are most looking
forward to tomorrow or this week,
can help.
Strictly stop all technology use two
hours before bedtime and keep the
lighting low from dinnertime onwards.
This includes if you child has a bath
before bed, avoid turning on the often
harsh bathroom lighting and, instead,
just use the shaving light, or even some
candles. Bath time is still allowed to
be a fun time for children, but they are
extremely sensitive to light, which is our
main body clock regulator, and it will
negatively affect their Melatonin (sleepy
hormone) release which happens in the
hours running up to bedtime.
It is completely normal for children
to resist bedtime at certain ages, they
have a fear of missing out and often
want to continue having fun with their
parents or siblings late into the night. Be
firm and consistent with the rules, if you
allow them to stay up on one occasion,
they will always try to push it on future
occasions knowing that they have a
chance of winning you over.
Lastly, ensure that your child is
getting plenty of physical activity and
exposure to daylight earlier in the day.
This helps increase their ‘sleep drive’
and their melatonin levels later in the
evening. Being physically tired is an
important driver for good quality sleep.
Remember that symptoms of
sleep deprivation will take a number
of weeks to improve once they are
sleeping better, so stick with it! If you
are still continuing to have problems
getting your little one to initiate or
stay asleep at night, then it is time to
seek help from your paediatrician or a
sleep professional.
Kate Bridle is a Sleep Specialise
available through Central Health
Medical Practice
Spring 2019
33