12 Tips to Improve Your Child's Sleep
Sleep is essential. Yet it is sometimes elusive. For children, adequate sleep quality and duration is a critical component of a healthy brain and physical development. Inadequate sleep can lead to many difficulties with paying attention, learning problems, and increased irritability. A lack of sleep may also result in overeating, obesity, headaches, hypertension, and depression. Young adults are also at risk for sleep disturbance with similar challenging effects. With all of these concerns, the potential for problems increases. Therapy may be necessary to improve sleep routine and increase sleep.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics & National Institutes of Health:
Infants 4 months to 12 months should sleep 12 - 16 hours (including naps) per day
Toddlers 1 to 2 years should sleep 11 - 14 hours (including naps) per day
Children 3 to 5 years should sleep 10 – 13 hours (including naps) per day
Children 6 to 12 years should sleep 9 – 12 hours per day
Teens 13 to 18 years should sleep 8 – 10 hours per day
Young adults 18 to 25 years old should sleep 7 – 9 hours per day
12 Tips for Improving Your Child’s Sleep
Following the tips below can help your child fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer, and feel more refreshed upon waking. Improving your child’s sleep can lead to better mood, attention, and learning. Better quality of life in your child means better quality of life for your whole family.
Establish a consistent bedtime routine.
A consistent bedtime routine starts with a set of activities to wind down the brain and get it ready for sleep. These activities can include brushing teeth, bath time, and reading or quiet play. And a consistent bedtime routine ends with consistent time for lights out. This should be the same on weekdays and weekends.
Wake at the same time each day - even on the weekends.
Consistency in wake time is as important as consistency at bedtime. Waking (and sleeping) at the same time each day will help regulate your child’s internal clock or rhythm. Thus, making it easier for them to sleep and wake each day.
Cut food or beverages that contain caffeine at least 4-6 hours before bedtime.
Caffeine is a stimulant. Stimulants tend to keep the body alert and awake. In fact, the stimulant effect of caffeine comes from its ability to block a brain chemical called adenosine. This is the chemical that makes us sleepy. As adenosine builds up in our systems during the day, it builds sleep drive. This is what makes us want to sleep at night. Blocking adenosine anywhere close to bedtime (even in the second half of the day) can have a big negative effect on sleep. Better choices for nighttime beverages include water and chamomile tea.
Avoid the use of electronics at least 1 hour before bedtime.
To cue our brain that it is time to sleep, our bodies need low light before bedtime. Low light helps our brains start to release endogenous melatonin, a hormone that makes us sleepy. If used too close to bedtime, bright screens (e.g., cell phones, laptops, iPads, etc.) can confuse the brain and reduce natural melatonin production. Helping your child’s body wind-down at night is essential to good sleep onset. Instead of a screen, choose a quiet wind-down activity such as reading, listening to music, coloring, or puzzles.
Avoid all activities except sleeping in bed.
Our bodies become conditioned to our environments. If your child’s body is used to being awake in bed, then it will be harder for the brain to shut off when it is time to sleep. Move all non-sleep activities out of bed to another comfortable spot in the room or another room. These might include homework, playing video games, computer use, etc.
Avoid daytime napping.
For children who are no longer napping regularly, avoid daytime napping. Or, limit naps to less than 20 minutes. When it is time to go to bed at night, our sleep drive (our brain’s desire to sleep) must be high. Naps reduce this sleep drive and make it harder to fall asleep at an appropriate time. Napping can lead to later bedtimes, less sleep at night, and tiredness and fatigue the next day. As a result, this can lead to more naps! To break this cycle, avoid naps altogether. Instead, engage in other restorative activities such as relaxation, mindfulness, or meditation.
Exercising during the morning or afternoon can help promote sleep.
Children (and adults) who exercise regularly fall asleep faster. They also stay asleep longer. Moving our bodies and using energy helps increase sleep drive by the end of the day. And the more vigorous the activity, the bigger the sleep benefit. But, exercising in the evening can make it more difficult to fall asleep. Exercise heats the body, so even after exercise, our bodies can be too warm to fall asleep. Help your child establish a routine of exercise earlier in the day for the best sleep outcomes.
Make sure the temperature in your child’s room is cool and comfortable.
We sleep better when we are cool. Body temperature begins to drop as bedtime approaches, paving the way for a good night’s sleep. Our bodies also tend to lose heat at night, which helps your child fall and stay asleep. Body temperature starts to rise toward morning, preparing your child’s body for wakefulness. Recommended room temperatures for the best sleep in children are between 65 and 70 degrees F.
Cut or reduce extra lighting or noise in your room at night.
Sensitivity to light and noise varies from person to person. But, a dark room with little noise is often most conducive to sleep. Consider adding blackout shades to your child’s room. Introducing a white noise machine or box fan can help your child’s brain tune out ambient noises that distract them from falling asleep or wake them in the night.
Practice relaxation strategies at bedtime.
Relaxation strategies such as deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and guided imagery, can be very helpful at bedtime. These strategies help reduce anxiety, reduce muscle tension and promote sleep. Check out Dr. Clendaniel’s how-to video about diaphragmatic breathing. Then, incorporate breathing into your child’s bedtime routine. This is often best after lights out.
If your child cannot fall asleep between 15-20 minutes, tell them to get out of bed.
This may feel counterintuitive. Get out of bed when you are trying to sleep? Unfortunately, when sleep does not come easily, frustration and anxiety can increase. As these emotions increase, our bodies become more alert and it can become harder to fall asleep. Encourage your child to do something relaxing (e.g., reading). Then they can get back into bed when they feel sleepy/drowsy, making it more likely they will fall asleep.
Learn to recognize other sleep issues
Sleep problems can lead to ongoing sleep issues. These may include snoring, sleep apnea, chronic bedtime resistance, night-wakings, and nightmares. Contact a professional if you are having trouble creating and maintaining a consistent bedtime routine for your child and/or adolescent. Your child’s pediatrician, a sleep specialist, and a psychologist can work as a team to find the best sleep solution.
The Thinking Tree Approach to Sleep Problems
Have you tried all of these tips and your child is still having trouble sleeping? We can help. Child Therapy at Thinking Tree has helped many children establish better routines and improve sleep. There are often several factors that can contribute to sleep issues. These may include both mood and behavior concerns. A child therapist will consider the whole child and provide interventions that are tailored to your child’s needs.
Begin Child Therapy in Severna Park, MD
Your child does not have to live with sleep issues that make it hard to be themselves. Child therapy can help your child learn coping strategies to improve their sleep. Our Severna Park office has caring clinicians who specialize in child therapy, young adult therapy, and more. To start your therapy journey, follow these simple steps:
Meet with one of our caring clinicians
Start helping your child thrive
Services Offered at Thinking Tree Psychology
We offer a variety of services at Thinking Tree Psychology in Severna Park. Mental health services provided by Thinking Tree Psychology include family therapy, psychoeducational testing and pain management, therapy for chronic illness, therapy for ADHD, therapy for young adults, and more. We are also offering telehealth psychology services as a convenient, safe way to attend therapy. Please visit our therapy overview page to learn more about additional therapy services. If you have additional questions, feel free to visit our FAQ page.
Let us help your child thrive.
Lindsay Clendaniel, PhD is a pediatric psychologist and owner at Thinking Tree Psychology. She specializes in the treatment of young people with anxiety and health-related adjustment issues. Her work focuses on increasing coping skills through relaxation training, mindfulness, and thinking (cognitive) approaches with the goal of improving symptom management and wellness. She has particular expertise in pain management and treatment of chronic headache and functional gastrointestinal illness.
Emily Wald, PhD is a pediatric psychologist specializing in the treatment of youth with anxiety, mood, and behavioral concerns. She currently works out of her office in Miami, Florida.