5 tips to promote sleep in children

We all need sleep, no matter our age. It is one of the three pillars of health, along with nutrition and exercise. In children adequate sleep is vital for growth and development, however, some research shows that sleep duration in children is declining in our modern era. (1) A body of evidence shows the many effects insufficient sleep has in children. These include memory impairment, reduced learning and academic performance, motor coordination problems, emotional regulation issues, reduced immune function, obesity risk and other physical and psychosocial disturbances. (1)

Sleep and Immune function

Poor sleep can make children more susceptible to infections. Studies have shown that insufficient sleep duration, or poor quality sleep, increases the risk of contracting colds and ‘flus, and results in a longer recovery time from infections. (2)

Sleep and weight regulation

Shorter sleep duration and variable sleep patterns have been found to be associated with weight gain and metabolic conditions such as insulin resistance in children. (3) Research also shows a strong link between sleep duration and appetite regulation. (4) 

Sleep and growth

Children need sleep to grow. Release of growth hormone is highest during sleep, with the largest release is in the earlier part of the night during the deep sleep cycle. (5).  

Add the above to all the other effects insufficient sleep can have on our children’s health and it is easy to see why parents seek support about their child’s sleep. So without further ado here are 5 tips to help your little ones get better sleep.

Turn off all screens at least an hour before bed and do not have them in a bedroom. Blue light is given off by screens and hampers melatonin production. Melatonin is our sleep-inducing hormone. It ensures we feel drowsy, allowing us to get to sleep easily, stay asleep, and enjoy a restful night’s slumber. If your little person is having difficulty falling asleep or waking frequently at night consider their screen use before bed and their passive exposure (i.e. screens on in the background such as the TV or mobile phone use while holding an infant).

An extra note about passive exposure – some of the content adults watch, including news shows, is not age-appropriate and can be exciting or disturbing for children and cause sleep disturbances.  

Light is the primary zeitgeber, or time cue, that helps entrain our circadian rhythm. The sleep/wake cycle follows a 24-hour pattern linked to the Earth’s light/dark cycle. Within an hour of waking, exposure to bright natural light suppresses melatonin secretion (our sleep-inducing hormone). With regular exposure it will increase night-time melatonin secretion and shift its secretion to slightly earlier, which may make falling asleep easier.

Going outside, or soaking in the sun rays through a window, every morning on waking for 30 minutes is ideal. However, if your morning routine doesn’t have time for 30 minutes of exposure to natural light, just 5 minutes every morning is better than none. 

Natural light is important upon waking and throughout the day so where you can choose to allow natural light into rooms throughout the day rather than switching on artificial lighting. Also, going outside at sunset can inform the body’s clock that night is approaching. However, exposure to bright artificial lighting at night has the opposite effect and can delay melatonin release. Dim artificial lights in the evening and consider installing warm amber light bulbs throughout the house and limit nightlights. 

You don’t need a rigid daily schedule with times for each activity listed and followed. However, you do need consistency. Eating, exercise and social interaction are all zeitgebers, time cues that entrain our sleep/wake cycle. Keeping them to a reasonably consistent time each day can result in less disturbed sleep. A calm predictable bedtime routine is itself a social cue that informs our body about the time of day. In addition, a predictable bedtime routine is reassuring for children as they know what to expect and will therefore feel less anxious at bedtime.

Just as we, as adults, often have difficulty falling asleep if the room temperature is too warm or cold, so too do infants and children. The ideal room temperature for sleep ranges between 17-22 degrees Celsius and 63-72 degrees Fahrenheit, with the ideal undercover temperature being no more than 29 degrees Celsius (84 degrees Fahrenheit).

Stress makes falling asleep difficult as it raises cortisol, a hormone, which helps ensure we are alert and awake during daylight hours. Cortisol and melatonin exist in a delicate inter-related balance – one can only be produced when the other drops below a certain level. Children mirror back our emotions – if you are stressed or frustrated at bed or naptime, chances are your child will be too. One of the biggest sources of stress for children is bedtime conflict. Repeated bedtime conflicts between parent and child over time result in the child learning to associate bedtime with feeling alert, distressed or restless instead of calm. This can impact their sleep habits when they are older and potentially lead to chronic insomnia. Consider what it is about the bedtime routine that is causing conflict and make changes to bring peace back into the routine.

In addition, children, like adults, need wind-down time before bed and some may require more wind-down time than others. If the bedtime routine isn’t working you may need to consider dividing it up into two sections – time for things like brushing teeth, going to the toilet and getting into pyjama’s, and some time for wind-down activities such as reading a book or colouring. Consider the activities that help your child regulate their emotions and relax them and try to include one into the wind-down routine. An older child may also need enough time between sports/homework and bedtime to ensure bedtime goes more smoothly.

1. Olds, Tim, Maher, Carol, Blunden, Sarah, & Matricciani, Lisa. (2010). Normative Data on the Sleep Habits of Australian Children and Adolescents. Sleep, 33(10), 1381–1388. https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/33.10.1381
2. Ibarra-Coronado, Elizabeth G., Pantaleón-Martínez, Ana Ma., Velazquéz-Moctezuma, Javier., Prospéro-García, Oscar., Méndez-Díaz, Mónica., Pérez-Tapia, Mayra., Morales-Montor, Jorge. (2015). The Bidirectional Relationship between Sleep and Immunity against Infections. Journal of Immunology Research, 678164–14. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/678164
3. Gozal, David, & Kheirandish‐Gozal, Leila. (2012). Childhood obesity and sleep: relatives, partners, or both?—a critical perspective on the evidence. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1264(1), 135–141. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-6632.2012.06723.x
4. Lin, Jianfei., Jiang, Yanrui., Wang, Guanghai., Meng, Min., Zhu, Qi., Mei, Hao., Jiang, Fan. (2020). Associations of short sleep duration with appetite‐regulating hormones and adipokines: A systematic review and meta‐analysis. Obesity Reviews, 21(11), e13051–n/a. https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.13051
5. Cacciari, E., Coccagna, G., Cicognani, A., Pirazzoli, P., Gallassi, R., Farneti, P., & Verucchi, P. (1978). Growth hormone release during sleep in growth-retarded children with normal response to pharmacological tests. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 53(6), 487–490. https://doi.org/10.1136/adc.53.6.487