Is your child constantly tired? Do they have trouble sleeping or staying asleep lately? It’s not really good for children to be constantly losing sleep. Even adults need enough sleep to go through their day, what more for the children. 

They need proper sleep because they are still growing, and they need it also to boost their immunity. Bottom line, nothing good comes out of it when they are sleep-deprived. So, what’s causing them to lose sleep anyway? And what can parents do about it? 

Unregulated Screen Time

Probably you’ve seen articles about the dangers of too much screen time. Do you know that electronic gadgets usage is also related to sleep? 

The blue light that is emitted from your child’s gadget suppresses the release of melatonin. This hormone, melatonin, regulates our sleep-wake cycle. It tells us when to sleep and when to wake up. 

If your children are exposed to gadgets before their bedtime, that’s probably keeping them up. The more they are exposed to their electronic devices, the more blue light they will receive – so less melatonin is produced. Melatonin production is even at its peak at night. This means they will have more difficulty sleeping. 

With that, you don’t have to eliminate gadget usage as they have their benefits as well. Just regulate the use, most especially before bedtime. 

Problematic Mattresses

Your child’s mattress may also be the culprit why they aren’t sleeping well. The mattress your child is using may be an old one. Mattresses that have not been replaced for a long time are quite problematic. 

If you have been using that mattress for years already and can’t remember the last time you replaced it, it’s probably teeming with bed bugs and dust mites already. These insects can trigger allergies and respiratory diseases. You wouldn’t want that for your kids. 

Aside from being unhygienic, old mattresses no longer provide the same body support as it did when it was new. They can cause body and neck pains. With years of wear and tear, the mattress is no longer as firm as it should be. 

This will make your child uncomfortable in their sleep. They would be continuously shifting positions, waking up constantly to do that. That’s why you need to replace your ancient mattresses. 

People balk at buying a new one because it seems like a hassle to do so. Buy a mattress in a box, so you don’t have to lug around such a large object. Or even buy the mattress online, so it would just be delivered right to your own home. There’s no excuse, just replace your child’s old mattress. 

Overscheduling

 As parents, we want to give our children the best experiences in life. Parents mean well when they want their children to maximize their time. That’s why we encourage them to get into a lot of extra-curricular activities.

It could be sports, music, art, and other activities they can be passionate about. However, there is also school, homework, and even socialization time. We want them to have the best childhood experience but there is only so much time in a day. 

In the pursuit of their passions, sleep may be pushed back a few hours at a time until it becomes a habit. Every parent wants the best for their children but makes sleep the priority. Work the activities around the required sleeping hours and not the other way around. 

Besides, if they have enough sleep, they will have more energy to do the things they want to do. So, it’s still a win-win situation at the end of the day. 

Disclosure: This is a collaborative post.