You can help children and teens sleep better with a consistent bedtime routine, a healthy sleep schedule, a good sleep environment, and healthy daytime habits. Try our tips.
For good sleep for children and teens
Good sleep means going to bed, staying asleep, and waking up early.
Get ready for bed
Most children fall asleep within 20 minutes of falling asleep. The length of time your child sleeps depends on their body’s sleep patterns. In addition, daytime routines and bedtimes can affect your child’s sleep schedule. A bedtime routine can help children relax before bed to help them fall asleep more easily.
Sleep well
Children wake up briefly during the night, but they may not even realize they are awake. In order for children to stay asleep, children need to be able to go back to sleep on their own after these short periods of wakefulness.
Wake up and feel better
Most children wake up in the morning if they get enough sleep. How to help children and teens sleep better: Tips
- Establish a bedtime routine
A bedtime routine that starts at the same time every night promotes good sleep patterns. Bathing, story-telling, and bedtime routines can help young children prepare for sleep. For older children and teens, routines include talking softly, turning off digital technology, taking a bath, listening to music or reading a book, and turning off the lights. - relax before bed
Encourage your child to relax before bed. Older children may enjoy reading, listening to soft music, or doing breathing exercises to relax. If your child takes more than 30 minutes to fall asleep, your child may take longer to fall asleep before turning off the lights and going to sleep. - Maintain regular sleep and wakefulness
Keep your child’s sleep and wake times within 1-2 hours a day. This will help keep your child’s internal body clock consistent. It’s best to do this on weekends, holidays, and during school hours. - Give older children earlier, shorter naps
Most children stop napping between the ages of 3-5. If your child has trouble falling asleep at night, try to nap for 20 minutes, no longer than in the afternoon. Sleeping too long or too long can make it harder for your child to fall asleep at night. - Keep your child safe at night
If your child is afraid to sleep or is upset, you can praise and reward your child every time he is confident. Avoiding scary TV shows, movies and computer games can also help. Some children who are afraid to sleep feel better when they have a light at night. 6. Check the noise and light in your child’s bedroom
Check if your child’s bedroom is too bright or noisy for sleep. Blue light from TVs, computer screens, cell phones, and tablets suppress melatonin levels and delay sleep. Bright light before bed has the same effect for young children.
Try these tips:
Turn off devices at least an hour before bed. Don’t bring digital technology into your child’s room at night.
For toddlers and young children, turn off lights an hour before bedtime.
If your child uses a nightlight, choose a dim, warm-colored bulb over a bright, white, cool-colored bulb.
- Avoid clocks
If your child checks the time, encourage your child to move their clock or look at it somewhere they can’t see it on the bed. 8. Eat the right amount at the right time
Make sure your child is getting the right foods at the right times. Being hungry or overly full before bed can make your child more alert and less likely to sleep. This can make it harder for your child to fall asleep. In the morning, a healthy breakfast will help start your child’s biological clock on time. 9. Get plenty of natural light during the day
Encourage your child to get plenty of natural light during the day, especially in the morning. Bright light suppresses melatonin. This will help your child stay awake and alert during the day and sleep at bedtime. - Avoid caffeine
Electric drinks, coffee, tea, chocolate and cola all contain caffeine. Encourage your child to avoid these in the afternoon and evening, and don’t give them to them during these times.
