What are the reasons behind sleep problems in children?

A child’s mental and physical health largely depends on sleep. If your child or baby is experiencing difficulty in sleeping, and you don’t know how to get baby to sleep in crib after cosleeping,  or how to get your child to stay asleep, there are many techniques that you could adopt for improving their quality of  sleep. These techniques include a combination of habits, sleep hygiene routine, diet, and supplements to enable your child to get a deep restorative sleep.

Another way to improve sleep disorders is through regular use of sleep supplements. Melatonin supplements are the most effective sleep-inducing aid.  Melatonin gummies are one of the best products that you could easily incorporate into your child’s diet. Some most reliable brands that produce melatonin gummies for kids are Gummies Garden, Nature Made, Garden of Life, etc. These gummies are popular among kids due to their candy-like appearance and taste.

The Importance of Sleep for Kids

Sleep is critically important for the developing needs of children. Sleep impacts the overall health, wellbeing, and happiness of a child. It also improves the learning abilities, performance in school, memory, concentration, and focus of your child, making them more productive.

Adverse Effects of Sleep Deprivation

Sleep deprivation can affect a child’s daily life. Inadequate sleep can make them grumpy, irritable, and hyperactive. It also weakens their immune system and leads to obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, anxiety, and depression.

Sleep deprivation can have a long-term effect on the mental health of a child. It can also leave a long-term effect on the personality of your child. Thus, both physical and mental conditions of children worsen due to sleep deprivation.

Causes of Sleep Deprivation in Children

To treat your child’s sleep deprivation condition, it is essential to investigate the root cause of sleep deprivation to be treated accordingly. Following are the known causes of sleep deprivation in children:

Lack of bedtime discipline by the parents

In many cases, parents find it challenging to set limits for a child’s bedtime. It is important to be disciplined in this regard. A child should be habitual of going to sleep in the same environment at the same time every day. This schedule facilitates sleep, and the child should understand that he needs to rest before his parents.

Children who have a habit of staying awake past their bedtime and going to bed when their parents do, or when it’s time for lights out in the entire house experience sleep disorders and sleep deprivation. Parents must set limits for sleep timing and location.

Family Dynamics and External Pressures

Children with sleep problems often have family issues that impact their sleep. Children with one or both parents in depression,l broken families, and other family issues feel anxious, which adversely affects their sleep patterns. Also, there is often a gap in communication between the parent and the child, which deteriorates their parent-child relationship. Damaged maternal relationships can also make a child lose sleep.

Poor Sleep Hygiene

Poor Sleep hygiene plays an essential role in causing insomnia and sleep disorders in children. An uncomfortable bed causes poor sleep hygiene, background noises during sleep time, excessive use of screen right before bedtime, simulators before bedtime, uncomfortable light in the place of sleep, etc.

For improving sleep hygiene, follow the below-mentioned steps:

• Make sure that your child’s bedroom is a comfortable and cozy place.
• Ensure that there is no bright light in the room at the time of your child’s sleep.
• Make sure your child doesn’t use cell phones, tablets, and other gadgets before bedtime. Remove TV and other devices from the child’s bedroom.
• Make sure the temperature in your child’s room is not extreme.
• Avoid giving large and heavy meals to the child before bedtime.
• Avoid giving stimulants like tea, coffee, chocolate to the child before bedtime.
• Your child should get a light exercise before bedtime, like a short walk.

Circadian Rhythm Disorders

Circadian rhythms are the internal rhythms that act as a biological clock, inducing sleep and waking up. When this sleep-wake cycle is disturbed, our circadian rhythm is in disorder. The circadian rhythms get disturbed when there is a disturbance in the daily timing schedule of sleeping.

For instance, on weekends, if children are allowed to stay up longer, they might find it difficult to wake up for school on Mondays. Or if on vacations, bedtime restriction is not imposed by the parents. It is important to establish a bedtime routine for the children and follow it consistently, even at weekends and vacations.

Low Melatonin Production

Melatonin is a hormone that modifies sleep patterns and promotes sound sleep. The pineal gland secretes it in our brains. Children experiencing sleep disorders have low melatonin production caused by several reasons. Melatonin supplements can be given to children to overcome melatonin deficiency and improve the quality of your child’s sleep.

Melatonin supplements are beneficial for autistic children or children with developmental delays. It should be given to children at least 90 minutes before bedtime for effective results. Also, consult a doctor before giving melatonin supplements to your child.