We all need to sleep and rest, and this action usually comes naturally at night, especially when we are very tired; But it is not only important to sleep, but also to have deep, restful and quality sleep, and sleep the necessary hours.
For this, sleep hygiene is essential; This consists of all those guidelines, habits and measures that promote quality sleep, which makes adequate rest possible.
In childhood, all this is especially important; thus In this article we will talk about sleep hygiene in children and we bring you up to 10 guidelines that encourage it.
As we have seen in the introduction, it is of great importance to maintain good sleep hygiene to ensure restful sleep, since sleep is a vital function necessary for many other functions.
Let’s think about when we are excessively tired during the day, drowsy, crawling everywhere… Aren’t we not performing the same? We work worse, we study worse… and we may even be in a bad mood, and even irritable
This happens to adults, but also to children. This is why sleep hygiene in children should be promoted and taken care of from very early on. Furthermore, the sooner children acquire these habits, the sooner they will internalize them, and the easier it will be for them to continue applying them in the future.
In this article we will focus on sleep hygiene in children, although most of these guidelines can also be applied to adults.
Sleep hygiene in children: how to enhance it and help them sleep
Let’s see 10 guidelines to promote good sleep hygiene in children:
1. Maintain regular schedules
Routines and schedules are essential pieces to promote good sleep hygiene in children This means that the ideal is for the little ones to go to sleep at the same time each day (or if not at the same time, at least at similar times).
This should also be extrapolated to weekends. Routines structure the mind and body, and are essential for the body to end up associating that time with bedtime.
2. Avoid the consumption of stimulants
Another guideline to promote sleep hygiene in children is to avoid the consumption of stimulant substances; This includes drinks that may contain caffeine, soft drinks such as Coca-Cola etc.
Ideally, they should not drink these types of substances, or if they do, at least not at a very late hour of the day, much less before going to sleep.
3. Encourage light exposure in the morning
It is known that exposure to intense light in the morning promotes sleep at night, so incorporating this habit into your little ones’ routine can also help them sleep better. Besides, If the light is natural, much better
4. Avoid TV, tablets, cell phones…
The light emitted by devices such as tablets, cell phones and others is highly inadvisable when one wants to fall asleep, because they produce just the opposite effect: “waking up” and activating the body and mind.
So, especially in sleep hygiene in children, It is strongly discouraged that they be “hooked” to these devices just before going to sleep ; If they use them, let it be at a reasonable hour, for example until five or six in the afternoon.
5. Avoid video games
In line with the previous guideline, the use of video games before going to sleep is also discouraged, because they tend to excite and activate them (they make them “alert”, just the opposite of what is needed to sleep).
6. The bed, to sleep
It seems very absurd, but sometimes we “sin” in this pattern and we don’t realize it. The body, on a mental and also physiological level, must associate the bed exclusively with sleep; it is because of that If the little ones, in addition to sleeping in the bed, also play in it, eat, watch movies or so on, this can create real difficulties at the time of going to sleep and falling asleep.
Because? Because your body no longer associates bed with sleeping, but with many other situations, which makes it difficult to sleep. This is a matter of classical conditioning (where certain stimuli and responses are paired in “X” way).
7. Do not use the TV to fall asleep
Another guideline that we propose to promote sleep hygiene in children, related to some previous ones that mention new technologies, is to avoid using TV to fall asleep.
Logically, there is no need to get drastic and avoid TV at all costs (because there are even children who do well), but rather moderate its use. If they can fall asleep with something else, better (for example with a book), because sometimes TV activates them instead of relaxing them.
It’s common sense; We sleep better in environments where we feel comfortable and at ease, in terms of temperature, position, clothing…
It is because of that It is of great importance to take care of the environment where we sleep (i.e. in this case the child’s room); This includes adjusting the temperature of the room, encouraging silence, ensuring that the child wears appropriate clothing (neither too tight nor too “baggy”), etc.
On the other hand, There are children who like a little soft music, or sounds that imitate the waves of the sea, the wind, the rain, etc. For this, there are applications that may be useful (check the Google Store or App Store).
9. Encourage regular physical exercise
Practicing sports is great in many ways: one of them, it relaxes us! Although it can activate us (especially depending on the sport), when a certain amount of time passes after training, we feel relaxed and our body appreciates it.
So, regular physical exercise can also promote good sleep hygiene in children.
10. Practice by example
Sometimes, to learn according to habits, there is nothing better than a good model; That is why, as parents, practicing by example can help our children in this regard.
This means apply the above guidelines and let the children see it since in addition to modeling, it can help our children become aware of the importance of these habits and internalize them more easily.
On the other hand, practicing by example also means creating an atmosphere of calm and tranquility at home from mid-afternoon until bedtime.
