We all know that sleep is important for children – but chances are, you might not know just how vital getting a healthy night’s sleep can be. Scientists have established that just like a healthy diet and exercise, sleep is critical for children to stay healthy, grow, learn, do well in school, and function at their best.
Studies have shown that the main impacts of poor sleep among children and adolescents include behaviour problems, impaired learning and school performance, mood and emotion problems, and worse health including obesity.
It has also been discovered that it isn’t just a matter of getting sufficient sleep quantity but also ensuring that the sleep your children are getting is good in quality. Young children can be deceptively hyperactive with insufficient sleep or because of a sleep disorder.
What is enough sleep?
It depends on your child’s age and other personal characteristics but according to the Nemours Foundation, which specialises in children's health issues, a 3-month old will sleep an average of 15 hours a day. This gradually decreases as your child grows older.
Below I’ve included a rough guideline from the Nemours Foundation, but please remember, these are not hard and fast rules. Some children need more or less sleep than others their age.
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From 6 to 12 months, an infant may nap about 3 hours during the day and sleep up to 11 hours at night
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From ages 1 to 3, toddlers average about 10 to 13 hours of sleep per day.
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Pre-schoolers sleep about 10 to 12 hours per night.
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Children aged 6 to 9 need about 10 hours of sleep a night.
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Teens need about 8 to 9.5 hours of sleep per night.
How can I tell if my child is sleep deprived?
The tell tail signs your child is sleep deprived include a cranky disposition, a low frustration point, a tendency to throw tantrums and hyperactivity.
These could all signal that your child isn't getting enough sleep. With some kids, though, the behavioural signs are subtler. If your child seems even-tempered but has trouble waking every morning, sleeps in whenever they have the chance, or falls asleep in the afternoon, they probably need more sleep. Some kids fall asleep every time they get in the car or whenever they sit down to watch TV. Others can't even wait for an appropriate venue. In a survey conducted by the National Sleep Foundation, 15 percent of kids reported falling asleep at school.
How can I get my child to bed earlier?
If your child doesn't already have a bedtime routine make sure you establish one. Choose a time close to the hour that they regularly fall asleep now. Ensure that bedtime is relaxed and a way for the body to slow down and prepare to sleep. A bath, a story, no screen time at least 2 hours before bed and some quiet time with you. These will all become signals for your child that the day has ended. Once you have the routine down you can slowly move it up a few minutes every evening until they go to bed at a reasonable hour and are waking easily in the morning.
Why use Glow Dreaming?
Parenting isn’t easy and although we want the best for our child things don’t always go to plan.
This can especially be true around bedtime. Glow Dreaming is a proven tool that lets parents take back control of the bedtime situation by calming the child, making them drowsy and ensuring they fall asleep quickly and effectively whilst simultaneous teaching them to sleep on their own in a non-habit or dependency forming way.
Glow Dreaming is the only product that utilises such a broad range of technologies and scientific methods to get results. Red LED light spectrum technology helps calm the child and fight the negative effects of blue light that comes from kids screen time and the exposure that regular lighting has on their internal clocks. Glow Dreaming uses only organic medicinal grade essential oils which have been especially formulated with ingredient’s that have been proven to induce drowsiness and help children get a much deeper sleep. The inbuilt humidifier helps improve room comfort and breathing during sleep. Humidifiers have been proven to be especially helpful for children with asthma, sleep apnea and skin issues like psoriasis. Glow Dreaming also incorporates pink noise which has been a long proven tool to help children relax and fall asleep whilst assisting with the deep phases of sleep and cognitive functions.
Life is getting more complicated, faster and busier and sometimes parents need help and that’s where Glow Dreaming comes in as the perfect tool. If your child has sleep issues Glow Dreaming will finally bring sleep to the ones that need it most.