Sleep in babies and children – how to promote it properly

Sleep in Children – Why Is It So Important?

Sleep is an important part of life.

While we sleep, the body recovers and ensures that vital processes are maintained and can function.

It is especially important for babies and children . It contributes significantly to healthy development.

Functions of sleep

To this day, sleep researchers are not yet fully aware of the exact functions. Scientists have always worked to study human sleep more closely.

Some things have already been proven. In essence, sleep in children has three main roles:

Sleep makes you bigger

During sleep, the secretion of growth hormones increases until they reach the daily maximum.

Children grow the most while getting a healthy dose of sleep.

Studies have shown that children who have regular and healthy sleep patterns are taller on average.

Sleep makes you healthier and more beautiful

The immune system is strengthened while children sleep because the body releases a particularly large number of antibodies.

Researchers have found that children with a healthy sleep cycle are less likely to be sick.

If children suffer from chronic sleep disorders , you can usually see it optically: The eyes appear puffy and tired, dark circles can be seen underneath.

The skin looks pale and sickly (because skin normally renews itself during sleep).

Sleep makes you smarter

The brain recovers in the sleep phase. What has been learned during the day is processed and sorted.

• A lack of sleep leads to concentration and learning difficulties.
• Therefore, at least six hours of sleep are necessary to ensure good learning success.

This is why it is often much more effective to get enough sleep before an exam than to spend the night studying.

Note: The optimal length of sleep varies from person to person. If we get too little, our brain suffers.

Children’s sleep needs

The older the little ones get, the more likely their daily need for sleep decreases. You can use this table as a guide:

Do children of the same age always sleep just as long?

No, because like every other person, children are very individual.

Bedtime sometimes even differs significantly, which can be attributed to genetics and the sleep routine you are used to.

It is particularly important here to pay attention to the signals that your child’s body is sending out.

Does your child wake up, for example, cranky and moody?

In such a case, try to keep your bedtime very carefully in the evening.

On the other hand, when the morning is full of energy and zest for action, you’re doing everything right and the sleep routine is great!

Small naps in between – is that healthy for my child?

Yes! Unlike adults, babies and children sleep up to 17 hours a day. Not in one go, of course, but spread over the day.

• And that’s a good thing, because children need this amount of sleep to be able to grow up healthy.
• Have a set sleep routine for your child so that their biological clock can adjust accordingly.

Introduce the little nap “in between” perhaps at noon and again in the evening.

If your child is younger than a year, they will nap for about two hours.

With children who are older than a year, you should make sure that they do not sleep longer than one and a half hours, otherwise they will have problems falling asleep in the evening. Wake up your little ones gently.

Adjust your sleep rhythm

Of course, you can try to adjust bedtime:

• If you notice that your child is not really tired in the evening, you can, for example, shorten the afternoon nap. Or try to skip the nap altogether.
• It could be problematic with the afternoon nap routine in daycare. If your child no longer needs a nap at home, you can talk to the teachers.

These will keep your child busy while the others sleep.

How to help your child sleep

Children get used (often unconsciously) to certain sleep rituals.

If he often falls asleep in your arms while the TV is on in the background, he will ask you to do the same routine even in the middle of the night.

If you don’t have a television to hand, it is often very difficult for your child to fall asleep again – despite sufficient parental care.

Therefore, try to choose a neutral environment for bedtime – such as your own children’s room.

Silence and routines are beneficial

Avoid background noise as much as possible (e.g. with noise protection curtains ).

A special blanket or a very special pillow will also help you fall asleep.

Introduce a loving sleep ritual in which you may start reading a bedtime story to your child, preferably in their own cot.

• You could end the routine with a loving kiss goodnight.
• Don’t just leave it alone and if it screams in fear, be there.

Because fear leads to a state of stress in which it comes to the release of stress hormones. This has negative effects on the body and affects the ability to fall asleep and recover.

You will see, your child will quickly learn to fall asleep on their own. You just have to help Him a little.

In short: give your child a feeling of familiarity and security.

Why is my child awake so much earlier than me?

Everyone who has children knows it: in the morning from five o’clock in the morning the little ones storm into their parents’ room and are bright and ready for the day.

This often results in a lack of sleep in adults. But why?

• Because children go to bed much earlier and usually take a few nap in between, they also slept earlier than their parents.
• The attempt to get the children to sleep again usually fails in the early morning anyway. So instead rely on other bedtime times.

From a certain age you can teach the little ones not to wake up their parents at unchristian times and to do something else instead (for example, watch their favorite children’s series on television?).

Typical sleep problems in children

In the course of childhood, very few children sleep regularly and without problems.

Here’s what to do about common sleep problems (and when to see a doctor).

The child wakes up at night

Sleep problems are most common in children younger than four years.

• Causes of frequent waking can be fear or tension, for example.
• Look carefully: is your child unbalanced and very tired in the morning?

Try to be there when you fall asleep. Does your child wake up at night? Leave a baby monitor in the nursery and be there.

If your child is scared, it will be very difficult for them to get back to sleep on their own.

The older it gets, the more it will get used to being able to go back to sleep on its own. Be patient and don’t apply any pressure.

Children test their limits

Your child is not afraid, but wants to test their limits with you.

• Often they would like to eat or drink something in bed.
• It tries with many tricks to delay going to bed.

Be loving but firm. Have clear rules about eating and sleeping times.

Keep your evening bedtime ritual. Consistency is the key to success!

Your child thinks too much in the evening

If the brain is stimulated by thoughts, it is very difficult to fall asleep.

If your child is worried about something, they will often lie awake half the night. Therefore, communicate with him during the day.

As early as lunch, try to ask how your child’s day went today.

Avoid bringing up these topics of conversation before bed; otherwise, the worries will become associated with sleeping.

Chronic lack of sleep is dangerous

If your child suffers from chronic lack of sleep , it can lead to health problems.

For example, they get sick much more often because the immune system is weakened from uneven sleep.

• But the risk of developing other diseases also increases with increasing sleep deprivation.
• Obesity, diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular problems are associated with it.

In general, the development of your child is impaired, not only physically (smaller stature), but also psychologically and emotionally.

Mental illness and emotional imbalance can result from constant fatigue .

Chronic too little (or too much sleep ) can also be the result of an illness.

If in doubt, consult a doctor in any case to avoid long-term damage.

The phases of sleep in children

In order to better understand sleep problems, it makes sense to get to know the different phases of sleep.

As with adults, children also go through essentially four phases before going into REM sleep.

To conclude, I will go into the individual phases in more detail at this point:

Phase I: The light sleep

The perception of the surroundings is slowly but steadily clouded until it can finally no longer be perceived. The muscles relax gradually.

Phase II: The body relaxes

This phase becomes longer and longer as the night goes on and makes up about 50% of all sleep. The muscle fibers are still relaxed.

If dreams are made at all in this phase, then dreams are particularly realistic.

Phase III: The transition to deep sleep

Slowly the body gets ready to dive into the most relaxing phase of sleep: deep sleep. The muscle relaxation continues to decrease.

Phase IV: The deep sleep

As the name suggests, at this stage the child is in a particularly deep sleep. Breathing and heart rates are low, as is the pulse.

If he is woken up now, it is normal for him to react drowsy and confused. Phenomena such as sleepwalking and speaking while you sleep can occur.

This phase is particularly important for the immune system. The release of antibodies is initiated.

The REM sleep

REM stands for “Rapid Eye Movement”. This phase is very similar to the first stage, but is accompanied by occasional rapid movements of the eyeball.

The dreaming experiences his dreams much more intensely and vividly. Most of the time, dreams from the phase can be remembered very well.

The skeletal muscles are maximally relaxed – a protective mechanism that ensures that you cannot injure yourself in sleep while living through vivid dreams.

Breathing and heart rate as well as the pulse increase noticeably. There is an essential connection between REM sleep and the maturation of the central nervous system in childhood.

In contrast to adults, young children spend most of their time in REM sleep.

Closing word

I hope this overview has helped you, and that you know more about how important sleep is to child development (and why you should absolutely encourage it).

You are also welcome to browse this page and do something good for yourself.

• You may want to learn more about what to consider when choosing a cozy pillow .
• Or maybe you just want to find out how to sleep better and give yourself a few hours of rest
• However, many Germans may suffer from various sleep disorders that depress their well-being.

Just jump to the point that seems most interesting to you. You are also welcome to visit the following pages that I came across during my research on sleep in children:

https://www.babycenter.de/a9638/den-schlaf-ihres-kindes-verstehen

https://www.baby-und-familie.de/Schlaf/Wie-viel-Schlaf-brauchen-Kinder-519955.html

Thanks for reading. Please recommend this page to others.