Ways Parents Can Follow to Manage Children’s Sleep Problems

“Please let me play some more games…” “Mom, can you read another fairy tale?” But I’m still awake! Are these suggestions an integral part of your nightly routine? Obviously, many parents find it difficult to coax their children to sleep… It is a very common behavior to resist sleeping at night, especially for young children, no matter how much fatigue outweighs. For this reason, it can be very difficult for parents to get their children to go to bed. If this is happening in your home, tips to make it easier for your kids to go to sleep and help you establish a healthy sleep pattern can help.

Spend time in nature

Given that kids from kindergarten through high school spend long hours at school and spend most of the day sitting in class, they often find no way to vent their energy. Especially if they say “yes” right after school, it can be said that they spend the whole day with limited movements indoors. For this reason, it’s important to set aside time for them to be outdoors where they can discharge their energy, run and play to satisfy their movement needs. Spending time with your children in nature, even half an hour a day, will benefit them and you, and help them fall asleep more easily at night.

Limit Screen Time

Unfortunately, technology has both disadvantages and advantages. Today, from a very early age, children spend time with screens. When it comes to phones, tablets, computers, game consoles, the number of screens kids come across during the day is pretty high. Screens exposed by technologies favored in both education and gaming damage melatonin, also known as the sleep hormone. Therefore, it becomes difficult for children to fall asleep. Children can be prevented from being exposed to screens at least a few hours before bedtime. Falling asleep can be supported by non-technological activities such as art, book reading, puzzle solving, board games, chatting.

Listen to your children’s complaints

Each child may have their own reason for not sleeping. Fears, bad dreams, feelings of loneliness, negative emotions and thoughts, and similar factors can push children to stop sleeping. For this reason your children’i can’t sleep because…’ you need to listen to their complaints. He’s hungry, he’s thirsty, he’s afraid of nightmares… By asking instead of guessing what the cause might be, you can take action faster. In this way, you can create suitable sleeping conditions for him, satisfying his needs.

Be open to support

As a parent, although you are ready to solve all your children’s problems and find solutions, you must recognize that you cannot handle everything alone. For example, if your child has frequent nightmares or various repressed fears or sleep-related traumas that have not yet surfaced, it can be difficult and unhealthy to come up with a solution on your own. For this reason, it is helpful to get specialist support and support your child through the process. Child psychologists or sleep professionals can offer your child the relief they need during this process and can help them overcome their sleep problems using a variety of methods.

Explain the importance of sleep

To many children, sleep may seem like an unnecessary, useless, unnecessary activity. And for some children, sleep can even be perceived as a punishment. Thus, by telling children why sleep is important for the human body, you can destroy their negative ideas about sleep. Many children worry, especially when it comes to maturation and growth, so for age levels, it can be simplified that sleep is necessary to grow healthy, be taller and get stronger. The topic of repetition is important for children, so instead of talking about it once, you can brush up on your knowledge by talking about the various benefits of sleep from time to time.

create a routine

Daily routine is one of the most important things that make life easier and better for people of all ages. Having a sleep routine also plays a critical role in improving children’s sleep habits. Sometimes children have trouble falling asleep due to insufficient transition between activity and bedtime. This is where sleep modes come into play. If you make sure your child has some quiet time off before bed, you’ll probably be able to get her to sleep better. Go to bed at the same time each day and spend time before bed with a bath, storytelling, talking, and similar soothing, relaxing activities that can promote healthy sleep. For young children, you can also use these procedures by visualizing them. On one of the walls of his room, you can stick a stream telling about the transition to a dream with pictures. On the other hand, keep in mind that as your child grows, their needs change, so you need to make adjustments to your sleep hours. Update your routines over time.

Get ready for sleep

Talking about the importance of sleep, creating a sleep routine, and getting professional support if needed are very important in improving children’s sleep habits. However, it also plays a critical role in making it easier to fall asleep before bed. You can also apply the following methods to prepare your children for a comfortable sleep:

Warm shower: You can ask your children to take a warm shower a few hours before bed to relax, raise their body temperature and thus prepare them for sleep.

Relaxation practices: Just as relaxing the body and mind helps us adults fall asleep more easily, the same is true for children. They, too, need to relax tense, tired muscles and calm the mind after running or sitting all day. You can make practices such as children’s yoga, meditation techniques, breathing exercises before bedtime a habit.

Suitable sleep environment: It is useful to check if the environment in which your children sleep is suitable for them. Most children are afraid of the dark, so it is important that the room is dimly lit so that this does not affect the quality of their sleep, but also does not allow them to be afraid. On the other hand, comfortable pajamas, a slightly warm-to-cool room temperature, hygienic underwear and, if necessary, a white noise device can help you create suitable sleeping conditions for children.

Finally, make sure your children only use their beds for sleeping. Explain that the bed is not the right place for tablet play, browsing, eating, or doing homework. Let them know that the bed is associated only with sleep.

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