Does your child find it hard to sleep; or rather you find it hard to get your child to sleep?
Correct fitting pyjamas, no electronics in the bedroom and dimming the lights before bed are some obvious starting points, however enforcing a regular time your child goes to bed not only helps your little ones drift off but also improves there test scores and behaviour.
A recent study found that children who had a regular bedtime scored much higher in tests that assessed mental development than those children with bed times that varied night to night. This is due to the mental development processes that happen during sleep.
A study of 13- to 18-year-olds found that those who regularly went to bed after 11.30pm performed poorly in tests, particularly when the tests were held early in the morning.
Another study of 16,000 adolescents by Columbia University found that those with a bedtime of midnight or later were 25pc more likely to suffer from depression and 20pc more likely to have "suicidal ideation" than those with a bedtime of 10pm.
However you can improve you and your childs sleep behaviour.
In a University of Michigan designed sleep education programme, four-year-olds and their parents were taught about healthy snacks before bed, reading rather than watching TV to unwind, and the benefits of being in bed by 8pm. After only one week, the children were getting an average of 30 minutes extra sleep per night.
To fix your sleeping habits you must work backwards and set the time your wake up so that you are tired when you go to bed, this in turn sets your circadian rhythm (your body clock).
Your waking up time should be set to the same time every day and this way you should feel sleepy at the same time every night.
We also sell our Putnam pillow in child size, adapted to fit a child smaller frame with a lower ridge, to fit snugly with your child’s shoulders, head and neck, reducing back pain and shoulder stiffness and leading to a restful night’s sleep for your child.
