Kang EK, Kim SS. Behavioral insomnia in infants and young children. Clin Exp Pediatr. 2021;64(3):111-116. doi:10.3345/cep.2020.00052 The families coming to see them often want a panacea or pill that will make their child’s problem vanish immediately. The behavioural approach they recommend instead takes time, but is very effective: 92% of the 167 families who used the clinic over the past year reported that their child’s sleep issues were successfully resolved within six months. And in the cases where they can’t help, the charity refers families to Sheffield children’s hospital for overnight observation. It is also possible that many parents don’t recognise their child isn’t sleeping enough: most of the teenagers who participated in a recent survey for the Children’s Sleep Charity said they had problems falling asleep and difficulty getting up; but 80% of their parents said they didn’t think their child had an issue at all.

When your child starts being resistant to being told what to do at bedtime, I highly recommend giving your child a select number of options. Rather than forcing their bedtime routine on them, give them the chance to own it. I call this making them the boss of their sleep, even though ultimately of course you are still in control, you can get them to choose within reason, for example what colour their PJ’s are (maybe a choice of 2), what books they read – where they read etc. This way, when you give them choice and a sense of independence, plus perhaps playing the buffoon and pretending to forget so they can remind you, suddenly you no longer have a little person who resents being told what to do but someone who is the BOSS of their SLEEP! Would you like to discuss your child’s resistance to bedtime in more detail?

How to know if it’s pregnancy or PMS?

Watson NF, Badr MS, Belenky G, et al. Recommended amount of sleep for a healthy adult: a joint consensus statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society. Sleep. 2015;38(6):843-844. doi:10.5665/sleep.4716 Depner CM, et al. (2018). Mistimed food intake and sleep alters 24-hour time-of-day patterns of the human plasma proteome.

Research also suggests that sleep deprivation can worsen mental health symptoms, including depression, anxiety, paranoia, and hallucinations. Increase your exposure to sunlight or bright lights during the day. This can help maintain your body’s circadian rhythms, which affect your sleep-wake cycle.This is because, when we are sleeping, our brains are very active. While in deep sleep, all the information children have learned gets selected, consolidated and stored in the long-term memory, so it can be put to good use at a later date. A child has to be awake enough to be focused and attentive in the first place, Meadows says, and then well-rested to recall those memories and use them to solve problems in future. Poor sleep can affect every stage of the learning process. “If you’re pulling an all-nighter and cramming for exams, you’re actually preventing your brain from laying down the information you’re learning,” he explains. If there is one thing you take away from this article – please let it be to be aware that “To truly connect and support our children – emotionally and on their journey to better sleep- we the parent must come first. It is impossible to attend to our children’s constant emotional and physical needs or demands if our cup is empty.”