Sleep is perhaps the most vital process everyone goes through everyday. It is essential to keeping the body and mind healthy, for it involves hormones and many bodily processes that ensure our well-being. This is the reason why getting quality sleep is so important.
However, sending kids to sleep is a typical challenge for parents and guardians. Even though kids really need sleep for their growth and development, it’s not uncommon for them to struggle to fall asleep. That’s because young children usually have a lot of energy to keep them active for long hours. But then again, they really need to get some shut-eye if they want to enjoy the many benefits of sleep. It’s also worth noting that a found that lack of sleep affects kids’ cognitive function.
To help you with your problem, below are natural ways that you can try to make it easy for your young children to fall asleep quickly and get quality sleep:
Remove all sources of artificial light
Street lights, electronic devices and even night lights make it hard for kids to get into the mood of sleeping. These sources of artificial light could also disrupt their sleep. The best thing to do is to get rid of them or just switch them off when it’s bedtime. If your child insists on using a night light or a lamp, switch it off when they are already asleep.
Make the room temperature conducive for sleeping
Reduce the room temperature, so your kids will readily feel relaxed and comfortable when hitting the sack. Many experts say that most people sleep better when the bedroom temperature is close to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. But for kids, the ideal temperature would be around 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
Offer them a high-fat, high-protein snack
A good trick is by giving kids a snack that is high in protein and fat more than an hour before bedtime. This would give them time to digest the food while the feeling of being full is going to make them sleepy. Snacks that have high sugar content are a big no-no because they can spike their blood sugar levels and lead to more problems in the long run.
Use white noise to calm them before sleep
One big factor that could be preventing your kids to fall asleep is environmental noise. If there are noises coming from outside, your kids are unlikely to relax and feel comfortable. The noises could even just lead them into thinking about so many things that it wold be hard for them to fall asleep. You can address this by using a white noise machine. White noise could drown out other noises from the outside and could sooth them to sleep. Their favorite lullaby or mellow music would be the most ideal bedroom sound to play in this case.
Come up and follow a sleep schedule for them
Having a consistent sleep schedule is the best way to solve your problem. Once their bodies and minds have gotten used to a sleeping pattern, it wouldn’t be too much of a hassle to get them to bed. They will naturally feel the urge to sleep when it’s bedtime and you can also rest assured that they will be getting quality sleep at night.
Pictured: A sleeping child. Pixabay