Most children get to bed and fall asleep quickly, tired from a day of exertion and more. But there is a percentage of children that struggle to fall asleep, or they wake up a few hours later and need to be put back to sleep.
Children are far less likely to have sleep issues or disorders when they grow older. Their brains adjust and manage the processes needed to settle in for the night. Perhaps they’re far more independent when it comes to their bed-time routines. The few children that do face issues will probably continue to face these without proper intervention.
There are a few factors to consider here. We’ll break them down into psychological, biological and environmental factors. This could happen because they’re either internalising anxiety or depression, or externalising issues like following rules or focussing.
It’s not easy to diagnose these issues in children so seeking proper expert help is always a good idea.
Most of the time, sleep issues can be handled quite well by the parents. A parent being by the bedside is usually a cue to fall asleep, so when the children wake up, just put them back to sleep. Eventually they will stop waking up regularly in the middle of the night.
In today’s age though, a big contributor to children’s sleep issues is the use of electronics. Screens inhibit the release of melatonin, the sleep hormone. As a result, the child feels awake and alert and then will find it troublesome to fall asleep for a while.
Having a well defined sleep routine is equally important,which can be listening to story or a lullaby and switching off the lights and shutting the door so that the child knows that it’s time to sleep.Older kids may read a story book or soft music while going to sleep.A hungry child will not be able to go to sleep so ensure that your child is well fed before she is put to sleep.
If these measures fail,your child may be having a sleep disorder, which might need medical attention.To better understand your child and figure out the reason for its sleep issues, consult your paediatrician.