To improve sleep in a child, attention should be paid to bedtime frequency and sleep hygiene. Ekaterina Komarova, a specialist psychologist at Aktion Education, told socialbites.ca about this.
“Respect the daily routine, even on weekends: after all, the child’s body gets used to sleeping and eating in the allotted time,” said the expert.
According to the psychologist, if a child does not sleep during the day, he becomes overly excited in the evening and cannot sleep even if he wanted to. It is overloaded with the impressions and information it receives during the day, and the brain cannot process them. Because of this, he may experience increased anxiety, night terrors, and nightmares.
“If kids go to bed late, they usually wake up at the same time as usual. In the morning, the body receives a signal that it is time to get up, and as a result, the child sleeps less than necessary. Hence the bad mood, whims and reluctance to go to kindergarten, ”Komarova explained.
Sleep hygiene includes such an important rule as the absence of appliances before bedtime.
“Do not emotionally excite the child, do not provoke his activity. Control the room temperature, air humidity, lighting, background noise, ”says the psychologist.
Sleeping comfortably will also provide a sequence of the same actions as you lie down and repeat every day. This ritual should be short-lived and fun for the child.
“For example, invite children to put toys in their beds for them to sleep on. Then turn on white noise, a monotonous sound that will drown out everyday sounds. Imagine with the children that this is the Sleeping Fairy flying to see if everyone is asleep. Each time, decide which planet the children will fly to in a dream and remind them that for this they need to wear a special spacesuit – pajamas. You can also use breathing exercises. Deep breaths and slow exhalations put children to sleep”, the expert noted that therapeutic fairy tales from the internet can also be used to put the child to bed.
Formerly socialbites.ca Wrote about how mothers cope with emotional burnout.