GET A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP

A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP

HEALTHY HABITS THAT HELP YOUR KIDS SLEEP BETTER

BY AMY BARTLETT

Bedtime is a struggle in most families, whether for infants, toddlers, tweens or teens. It seems like energy is at its highest at lights out. Knowing how to help kids create healthy habits to carry into adulthood, or even how much sleep they need, can seem impossible when you’re just trying to catch well-washed runaways racing down the hallway. Thankfully, there’s a science to it.

“WIND-DOWN WINDOW”: The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests a quiet period an hour before bed, which is harder for younger ages, but Palmetto Pediatrics in Bluffton and on Hilton Head shares this tip: “Try to get in the habit early in your baby’s life of putting him/her down to sleep when they are drowsy but not fully asleep. This teaches your baby to soothe himself and fall asleep alone.”

BED “TIME”: It’s just as important to determine the right time for kids to hit the hay as knowing the amount of time different ages need. Hilton Head Regional Hospital published a breakdown on sleep recommendations for each age group: Newborns (0-3 months), 14 to 17 hours*; Infants (4 to 12 months old), 12 to 16 hours*; Toddlers (1 to 2 years old) 11 to 14 hours*; Preschoolers (3 to 5 years old) 10 to 13 hours*; Grade-schoolers (6 to 12 years old), 9 to 12 hours; Teens (12 to 18 years old), 8 to 10 hours. * Naps included.

WHAT CAN SLEEP TELL YOU? Lack of sleep is one of the easiest ways to know something is weighing on a kid’s mind. Restlessness, waking up in the middle of the night, avoiding bedtime or trading it for obsessive distractions can be the first indicator they need help processing something that’s bothering them.

STUDY SLEEP: In addition to indicators like nightmares, sleep avoidance, or sleep deprivation, the Pediatric Sleep Center at Prisma Health Children’s Hospital in Columbia says: “Symptoms such as snoring, daytime sleepiness, falling asleep in school, gasping or having pauses in the breathing pattern, and enlarged tonsils should prompt a sleep study.”

A RECIPE FOR REST: FIVE STEPS TO SOUND SLEEP

Once you’ve built your base with the above, knockout results are in reach through a few best-practices: 1. CLOCK IT: Set a regular sleep-wake schedule and stick to it as much as possible, trying not to change it even on weekends by more than an hour. 2. GET OUT: Prioritize outdoor activities daily. Exercise and sun exposure are major influencers of sleep health. 3. LIMIT DISTRACTIONS. For younger ages this is easier to control, like turning off TV, phones or gaming devices. As kids get older, distractions can come from less detectable directions like worry, stress, homework or problems with their social life. 4. POWER DOWN: Decrease or avoid caffeine and sugar after noon as well as snacking before bed, and keep naps to ageappropriate minimums. 5. CREATE SPACE: Keep beds a “sleep only” space by creating areas in kids’ rooms to relax or study. A small desk, tons of pillows, bean bag chair – simple add-ons can separate wide awake areas from being associated with settled sleep spaces.

When learning “what” to do, talk to kids about “why.” Sleep isn’t a great motivator by itself, but it helps to hear “sleep affects how you look and feel, if you’re healthy, makes you quick, gives you strength for things like athletic performance, the ability to do better in school, and makes you feel better.”