Sleep is vital for proper development and to maintain health. Good sleep helps improve the child’s physical and mental health and boosts mood. For preschool children, 10-13 hours of sleep duration is necessary; for school-going children, the standard sleep duration is about 9-11 hours a day. If the children aren’t getting enough sleep, there may be a risk for many other diseases, such as heart issues, poor brain development, and lack of physical activity. Improper sleep may cause irritability and mood swings, and they may misbehave with others.


Tips for ensuring good sleep

The following tips can help a child with good sleep and prevent the harmful effects one may face due to disturbed sleep.

  • Bed associations

Parents need to ensure their children that their bed is only for sleep and not to do other activities like watching TV, phone, or playing games over sitting there. Make additional spaces for all such activities and associate bed with sleep so that as soon as children go to bed, they must fall asleep; the brain considers it a place to be rested.

  • Sleep ambiance

Try to make a bedroom with such an environment where the child feels peace. In the daytime, to make a child asleep, close the curtains, turn off the lights, and do the same at night so the hormone (melatonin) is released that causes the child to fall asleep. Use a night light if the child gets scared in the dark.

  • Better Sleep routine

Do not let the child sleep all the day. Make them follow a proper routine for sleep. 1-2 hour sleep at noon as a nap is essential. Make them sleep early at night so they have a habit of waking up early, which keeps the brain and body active all day.

  • Hunger control

Poor sleep may happen due to an empty stomach. Make sure the children have their meals each day on time. Some children crave snacks at night or feel hungry, so give them milk two hours before bed, or porridge, cereals, and wholemeal toast can be given so they may sleep better.

  • Stay active

Keep the children active all day. They go to school, run a cycle, and play outdoor games, and exposure to sunlight improves sleep. Parents should be involved in their daily routine activities so they find it fun and not over-stress it. Keep the children away from stress and make them active in their life.

Set a proper time routine for watching television, digital games, and mobile phones. The blue light of electronic media suppresses melatonin, so change the light to yellow in the settings. 2 hours before children’s sleep time, turn off all these gadgets and do not let the child use them at all.

  • Diet for sleep

Give the children food that aids in encouraging better sleep. Let the child eat oatmeal or cherries as they contain melatonin, eggs contain tryptophan, which is good for rest, and potassium in bananas helps to relax muscles and aids in improving sleep. The sources of magnesium, vitamin B6, or protein are also good in encouraging rest, such as pistachio, and protein sources include cheese or crackers. B6 aids in promoting the production of melatonin, a hormone for sleep, and strawberries are a good source of B6 that can be given to a child.

 

Conclusion

Sleep is essential for a healthy body, brain, and emotions. Proper sleep keeps the child active all day and improves their performance in their daily routine. Setting an appropriate pattern of sleep, screen time, sleep ambiance, keeping them engaged, controlling their hunger, and making them eat healthy food such as foods that are rich sources of melatonin, tryptophan, B6, protein, magnesium, and potassium that encourage better sleep for children.