Basic Principles of Sleep Hygiene for Children
- Have a set bedtime and bedtime routine for your child.
- Bedtime and wake-up time should be about the same time on school nights and non-school nights. There should not be more than about an hour difference from one day to another.
- Make the hour before bed shared quiet time. Avoid high-energy activities, such as rough play, and stimulating activities, such as watching television or playing computer games, just before bed.
- Don't send your child to bed hungry. A light snack (such as milk and cookies) before bed is a good idea. Heavy meals within an hour or two of bedtime, however, may interfere with sleep.
- Avoid products containing caffeine for at least several hours before bedtime. These include caffeinated sodas, coffee, tea, and chocolate.
- Make sure your child spends time outside every day whenever possible and is involved in regular exercise.
- Keep your child's bedroom quiet and dark. A low-level night light is acceptable for children who find completely dark rooms frightening.
- Keep your child's bedroom at a comfortable temperature during the night (<75°).
- Don't use your child's bedroom for time-out or punishment.
- Keep the television set out of your child's bedroom. Children can easily develop the bad habit of “needing” the television to fall asleep. It's also much more difficult to control your child's viewing if the set is in the bedroom.
Basic Principles of Sleep Hygiene for Adolescents
- Wake up and go to bed at about the same time every night. Bedtime and wake-up time should not differ from school to non-school nights by more than approximately an hour.
- Avoid sleeping in on weekends to “catch up” on sleep. This makes it more likely that you will have problems falling asleep.
- If you take naps, they should be short (no more than an hour) and scheduled in the early to midafternoon. However, if you have a problem with falling asleep at night, napping during the day may make it worse and should be avoided.
- Spend time outside every day. Exposure to sunlight helps to keep your body's internal clock on track.
- Exercise regularly. Exercise may help you fall asleep and sleep more deeply.
- Use your bed for sleeping only. Don't study, read, listen to music, watch television, etc., on your bed.
- Make the 30–60 minutes before a quiet or wind-down time. Relaxing, calm, enjoyable activities, such as reading a book or listening to calm music, help your body and mind slow down enough to let you get to sleep. Don't study, watch exciting/scary movies, exercise, or get involved in “energizing” activities just before bed.
- Eat regular meals and don't go to bed hungry. A light snack before bed is a good idea; eating a full meal in the hour before bed is not.
- Avoid eating or drinking products containing caffeine from dinner time on. These include caffeinated sodas, coffee, tea, and chocolate.
- Do not use alcohol. Alcohol disrupts sleep and may cause you to awaken throughout the night.
- Smoking disturbs sleep. Don't smoke at least one hour before bed (and preferably, not at all!).
- Don't use sleeping pills, melatonin, or other over-the-counter sleep aids to help you sleep unless specifically recommended by your doctor. These can be dangerous, and the sleep problems often return when you stop taking the medicine.
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