How to improve sleep in young children? age 8 to 12 years
Sleep has enormous importance in the lives and performance of children. The really difficult thing is to know where to start or what habits can be of help to improve this area. It is more difficult to accompany this with an awareness of its importance. Recognize it as something indispensable and not as an imposition or punishment Here we present some habits that will help improve rest and increase the hours they should sleep on average, being at this age an approximate 9 to 10 hours.
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Develop a mood schedule and seek information about the effects of sleep.
Do a team search for information. Compare it to their day-to-day experiences. Help you and your children begin to recognize the importance of sleep hygiene. You do not need to impose rules or changes but it is about elaborating together some strategies. All to achieve specific goals. Each case will be different.
They can create calendars with drawings, and small notes, and identify emotions or things or achievements in their days. Including photos can be a good idea. Always trying to link these experiences with their dream habits, schedules, changes in the environment etc. So they can experiment. They can make mutual observations about each other’s habits. They will see from different perspectives.
This is probably one of the most difficult aspects. The night is usually a de-stressing or entertaining space. Cell phones, tablets and television are not usually missing. An effort must be made to replace them. There are different options for activities. This will improve your sleep schedules and sleep problems. As an example we have to talk as a family, tell stories, to talk about specific topics. You can create a plan of activities per day that they look forward to. Thus the absence of the cell phone or devices will become less evident. You can also start small by little. Avoid these devices once a week and increase.
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We all go to the bedroom early
Habits are learned at home. Imitation can go a long way in creating new habits. Although we would like the rules not to apply to adults. Sleep also affects us. Doing it alongside your children will help them not consider it punishment. For both cases the appropriate thing is to do it gradually, go decreasing fifteen or ten minutes per day to what they are used to.
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The bed is only for sleeping.
We usually use it as a place to sleep. Also as a place to have fun, use the cell phone, watch movies, do homework, etc. Our brain will not only think of the bed as a resting area, but as a world of possibilities. As we approach it, the mind will think of a thousand and one possibilities that it could realize. Less sleep. If we start using it only at night and to rest. By being in it we will enter a state of tranquility and less anxiety.
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Sleep in a quiet, dark space.
Making small changes to the stimuli in the room will help improve sleep hygiene. The younger the brain will remain less active and prevent it from being the space to think. Otherwise, he would find himself in expectation. As if something was going to happen at any time avoiding optimal rest. Many children may be afraid of darkness. If this is the case you could look for dim light, avoid sounds, etc. and at the same time start treating that phobia, going to a specialist. The idea is to go to the bottom of where the fear was created to make small approaches to the goal.
Remember that the most important step is to have patience and be consistent. Those habits become a family project. It will not only help them improve their energy and performance in their activities but also their self-care.
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