During the process of developing the sleep robot we came across a lot of stories of people suffering from insomnia and other sleeping problems. Along with hearing stories from adults, we also got in contact with parents who would tell us their kids could just not catch sleep. Inspired by these stories Somnox decided to start examining sleep and insomnia in children.
As well as for adults, sleep is very important for children. Sleep deprivation can cause lowering of the body defense system, which will increase the chance of your child to become ill. Next to that, sleep deprivation can also effect their performances in school and is linked to obesity. These things make it all very important to teach your child the importance of sleep, and to have a regular sleep schedule.
Whilst we are exploring how to transform the current sleep robot into a child-friendly sleep companion, here are some easy tips that you as a parent can already implement today for better sleep for your child:
- Limit screen-time 90 minutes prior to bedtime.
- Limit caffeine-holding drinks 4-6 hours before bedtime.
- Use the same bedtimes every single day, this means also in the weekends and on holiday.
- Create a sleep ritual with your child. This ritual consists out of activities you can do with your child before it’s time for bed.
A sleep ritual example would be:
- Go upstairs
- Shower
- Brush teeth
- Change into pyjamas
- Read pages out of book together
- Goodnight kiss from parent
- Time to sleep!
If you repeat this every day, the child will get used to it and knows he/she is preparing for sleep him/herself during this process, which will help sleep onset occur faster.
And last but not at least, a lot of parents think that when their child is not tired at night, they need to get them tired by running outside or up and down the stairs. This actually does not help sleep onset, because this will raise their body temperature which lowers the production of melatonin: human’s sleep hormone! So instead of wearing out your child before bed, try a calming activity, like drawing or reading!
