Sleep is important for all of us, but especially for the development of children. It helps to regulate growth, emotions, and memory. The right amount of sleep causes their mood to be more stable and helps prevent sickness. Children ages 5 through 12 need 9 to 12 hours of sleep and teenagers tend to need 8 to 10 hours of sleep.

If your child has a hard time falling asleep, experiences frequent sleep disturbances, or suffers from daytime sleepiness, you might want to consider their sleep hygiene. Good sleep hygiene is all about putting yourself in the best position to sleep well at night. If your child’s sleep is suffering, this might be your first consideration in trying to improve because most of these ideas are free.

There are 4 main ideas to consider with sleep hygiene with smaller behaviors that support them. They are the following:

1. Set a sleep schedule
   • Have a consistent wake-up time because too much variation breaks their rhythm.
   • Make bedtime a priority over other activities.
   • If you need to change your sleep schedule i.e. from being on school break to being back on a school schedule, do it gradually over a few days before the change.
   • Avoid long naps because they affect the ability to sleep at night. If a nap is needed, try to get one in the early afternoon and keep it short.
2. Follow a nightly routine
   • Give about 30 minutes to wind down with activities like reading, listening to soft music, stretching, or deep relaxation meditation.
   • Dim lights around the house as you start getting them ready.
   • Unplug from electronics 30-60 minutes before going to bed.
   • If they’ve been trying for 20 minutes with no luck, allow them up to stretch, read or do another calming activity in low light before trying again.
3. Healthy Daily Habits
   • Get them some time in the sun each day because it helps regulate circadian rhythm.
   • Have them be physically active because the exercise can help them feel ready for sleep as it helps regulate hormones which can play a big role in sleep.
   • Avoid stimulants like caffeine in the afternoon and evening.
   • Don’t eat a big meal late as heavy digestion at bedtime can make it hard to sleep.
   • Reserve the bed for sleep and use it only for that purpose.
4. Bedroom for Sleep Design
   • Make sure the bedding is comfortable and check for allergies or sensory sensitivity.
   • Set a temperature between 65-75 degrees
   • Control light and noise with black-out curtains, dimmable or fading nightlights, under-the-door draft blockers, noise machines, or humidifiers.
   • Diffuse calming scents like lavender or scent bedding/favorite stuffed animal.

If you’re trying to improve your child’s sleep hygiene, don’t change everything at once. Try making small adjustments to see how they affect their ability to fall and stay asleep. Things that work for other children might not work for yours. If you’ve made some of these adjustments and there is still a significant struggle, look into medical causes or sleep disorders that could be impacting sleep.

All these tips work for adults too, so if you are the one struggling, try some of these out.

The Sleep Foundation, Hopkins Institute, and the Children’s Hospital of Colorado have all published more information on this topic. 

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