Text: Daria Terevtsova

Usually, new parents all around want to get enough sleep. To the fact that you will have to sleep in fits and starts for at least a couple of months, one way or another everyone is ready, but what if the child continues to worry at night?

We asked experts why children fall asleep and sleep poorly and what parents can do to change the situation.

Tatyana Chkhikvishvili

sleep consultant, head of online projects Baby-sleep.ru

If the child does not sleep well and constantly wakes up at night, this is an occasion to think and change something. It is not simple. It takes time, effort and motivation. Improving sleep is always the job of parents. A common mistake is that parents do not attach the same importance to the organization of quality sleep for their children as, for example, the choice of clothes, toys, food. And they hope that with sleep everything will work out somehow by itself, the child will outgrow it. And this can take months or even years. As a result, a constant lack of sleep is experienced not only by parents, but also by the baby himself.

As a rule, parents simply do not know when to put the child to bed so that he falls asleep quickly and easily. Often, tears and whims become a signal that it is time to put the child to bed. But it's too late. Whims speak of excessive fatigue. Overwork leads to excitement (this is due to the immaturity of the nervous system of children), prevents you from falling asleep quickly and does not allow you to sleep long and calmly.

In order to normalize sleep, you first need a system. For young children, orderliness and predictability are important. They face a staggering flow of information every day, their life is full of changes, anxieties, events and stresses (because everything is new for them). The presence of a fairly clear rhythm of sleep and wakefulness, when day after day everything is clear, stable and habitual, calms the child and helps him fall asleep and sleep well.

To understand that the child wants to sleep, and not to miss this moment, you need to learn to notice the very first signs of fatigue. Everyone has their own. These may be changes in gaze, facial expression, movements. Someone may start tugging at their earlobe or rubbing their nose. The child may lose interest in the game, turn away, become thoughtful.

Remember how long after waking up the signs of fatigue in your baby become obvious (yawns, naughty, spoils the mood), and in the future, very carefully observe him some time before. Gradually, you will see patterns and understand when the “window to sleep” opens - the moment when the body is ready to fall asleep, but not yet overtired, when it is easiest to fall asleep.

As for age sleep norms, this is a good guideline for parents. But, of course, children are different, and individual characteristics affect the needs of each child. It may be normal for a child to sleep a little less than most peers, but only on the condition that this amount of sleep is really enough for him. It is easy to understand: if a child wakes up cheerful and cheerful in the morning, maintains a good mood all day, falls asleep easily and without tears in the evening and sleeps well at night, then everything is in order, there are no problems.

Olga Alexandrova
somnologist

baby sleep consultant Aleksandrovaov.ru

If there are problems with sleep, then first of all you need to understand whether they are organizational or medical. Growing teeth, weather, pressure, snowfall can really affect and ruin a child's sleep. Of course they can. But that's the issue of the week. If we are talking about a month or more, the teeth or the weather have nothing to do with it.

Therefore, it is better to start with an examination to exclude neurological diseases. If all is well, the next step is to analyze how consistent and consistent you are with the child. What is possible and impossible, when and how - all this is fundamental.

The third point is the mother's psychological state. After all, mother's anxiety, lack of sleep, irritability can bring down the sleep of even a healthy and calm child.

The ritual will help to improve sleep. These are the same actions repeated every day for 10-15 minutes before bedtime. You can put away toys, brush your teeth, read a book, sing a song. The script can be anything. The most important thing is that it should be relaxing, the same and that the baby and you like it.

The ritual, like anything new, takes some getting used to. Set aside at least a week for this. During this time, you and your baby will have the opportunity to develop your own unique bedtime routine.

For the same reason, sleep associations are important - a set of conditions necessary for a child to fall asleep. Imagine that you fell asleep in your bed with a bear or your beloved husband (wife) in an embrace. And woke up - well, let's say, on a bench in the park. What is your reaction? You will be at least very unhappy.

The child experiences the same thing when he fell asleep with motion sickness or while feeding in his mother's arms, and woke up alone in the crib, without food and without rocking. A child, falling asleep with a set of associations, waking up, needs to restore these conditions.

Daytime sleep plays an important role in a restful night's sleep. It is needed so that the child can rest and recover. The fact is that if the child is too tired during the day, then by the evening he will be so overexcited that it will be difficult for him to fall asleep quickly and sleep through the night. Therefore, do not rush to cancel it. Up to three years it is mandatory, up to five it is desirable, and up to seven it would be great.

But the main criterion for cancellation is the child's well-being, his good mood and the absence of whims in the afternoon. However, if the child does not fall asleep once during the day, it is better to put him to bed an hour and a half earlier than usual. This will allow the baby to recover well.

Olga Snegovskaya

baby sleep consultant O-sne.online

Often parents think that the later they go to bed, the later their child will get up, but in most cases this does not work. Children are more sensitive to biorhythms. Excessive wakefulness leads to the accumulation of fatigue, to stress, with which the body struggles with the release of an additional portion of the wakefulness hormone, which contributes to an even earlier rise in the morning.
And if an adult can get enough sleep, then the child will most often get up as usual even with a later bedtime.

Another common misconception is that a child should run more before bed to get tired and fall asleep better. In fact, physical activity also increases the production of the wakefulness hormone. It contributes to the accumulation of fatigue, but does not contribute to a calm and quick sleep. The child needs time for the wakefulness hormone levels to level off and decrease. Therefore, about an hour before bedtime, it is better to start playing calm games, then by the time you fall asleep, the blood composition will contribute to good sleep.

Parents are especially worried about the nighttime awakenings of children. But here I can say that night awakenings are considered the norm all my life. Even adults wake up several times during the night, but most often they don't even remember it in the morning. So a child at any age can wake up at night.

But after six to nine months, he can fall asleep on his own at night. This is due to the fact that it is at this age that the baby becomes ready to go without food at night, and therefore, to cope with nocturnal awakenings on his own, combining sleep into a single continuous period.

Babies grow fast and spend a lot of energy on activity and cell renewal. Therefore, they need a complete healthy diet. All parents know about this, trying to feed their children tastier and denser. But one of the frequent complaints of parents is the problem of night sleep for kids who do not want to go to bed, fall asleep for a long time and do not get proper rest at night, especially if they need to wake up early in the morning to kindergarten or school. Often this is not the fault of illness or an irrational daily routine, but foods that have an exciting or stimulating effect on the nervous system and disturb the child’s sleep. It is important to know more about them in order to make the menu more rationally.

Good rest is vital for children

The infancy and preschool years are very eventful for both children and their parents. This is a period of continuous exploration and intense movement, exploration of the world, which also requires proper time for the recovery of expended resources and rest. Sufficient, full-fledged night's sleep is the most important, since during this period the body does most of its building and repair work, and the brain analyzes the information received during the day. Without sufficient rest, the development of children and their behavior suffers significantly. But often putting a raging child to bed in the afternoon or evening is not an easy task, even if he is tired and needs rest. Screams, scandals and tantrums, long falling asleep - this is familiar to many parents who grow up at an early and preschool age.

How much sleep is needed?

Depending on age, babies should get up to 12-14 hours of sleep per night on average. However, today many children and parents face sleep problems. Babies either can't fall asleep quickly or don't stay in deep sleep for long enough, often waking up at night. While poor nutrition is not the only cause of sleep problems, it can certainly play a big role in normalizing the quality and quantity of a young child's sleep.

Proper preparation of children for sleep

To prepare the baby for sleep, it is important to calm the brain by stimulating the correct release of certain neurotransmitters (substances that transmit impulses in the brain). Especially important is the release of the neurotransmitter serotonin, the synthesis of which should be activated. This is due to the fact that enough serotonin in the brain causes a feeling of fullness, a feeling of happiness and sleepiness. Therefore, in order for children to fall asleep faster and sleep better, you need to increase the synthesis of serotonin as night approaches. Since serotonin is made from tryptophan, an essential amino acid that comes from food, it is important to consume tryptophan-rich foods. Good food sources of the amino acid tryptophan are turkey, chicken, milk, eggs, nuts, bananas, beans, fish, and cheese.

What is important to know about "sleepy" foods?

While a tryptophan intake is beneficial, it is important to choose the right food combination, as tryptophan actively competes with other food amino acids to gain access to the brain. If foods high in other amino acids, such as tyrosine or methionine, are consumed (for example, in meat), tryptophan may enter the brain at lower concentrations. To eliminate this problem in children, it is also important to consume foods high in carbohydrates, as they will also help stimulate the synthesis of serotonin and increase the absorption of tryptophan from food. By consuming carbohydrates, the body will secrete insulin, and the release of this hormone will help minimize the absorption of other amino acids that compete with tryptophan. Fortunately, tryptophan is not dependent on insulin. Therefore, offering children simple snacks such as whole grain crackers and cheese, oatmeal with milk, or plain yogurt with a banana can prepare their bodies for bedtime soon.

You read a lot and we appreciate it!

Leave your email to always receive important information and services to maintain your health

Subscribe

Baby food, rich in calcium and magnesium, is also helpful in improving babies' sleep. These minerals help calm the nervous system, making it easier for children to get to bed and fall asleep. Calcium can be found in dairy products, almonds, sesame seeds, leafy greens, oranges, and sardines, while magnesium can be found in seeds, nuts, and green vegetables.

It is important that children receive these foods daily. Something as simple as warm milk before bed can also be effective because it contains both calcium and tryptophan.

Foods to Avoid

Just as certain foods will help prepare babies for sleep, there are others that will interfere with sleep. Some of the most obvious are those that contain caffeine, such as soda and chocolate. Toddlers should avoid these foods completely if they have trouble sleeping.

Foods with excess sugar can also disturb sleep. It is wise to avoid overly sweet snacks in the evening, as they will also have a negative effect on blood glucose levels. Immediately after eating sweets, blood glucose levels increase, after a while it decreases significantly. To try and stabilize blood sugar levels, the body causes the adrenal glands to produce adrenaline, a stress hormone that can wake babies up after they've almost fallen asleep.

Finally, it's also wise to determine if your baby is suffering from a food intolerance, which can also interfere with restful sleep. The most common triggers are dairy, wheat, soy, corn, eggs, chocolate, and nuts. If parents suspect that there is an intolerance, you need to think about how to eliminate them from. These foods are removed from the diet for 10-14 days to see if any improvement is noted. To determine which food is the culprit, each can be added back to the diet, one by one, every four days and any sleep disturbances at that time should be noted.

Shutterstock photo materials used

Dubinina Anna Gennadievna, head of the pediatric department, pediatrician of the Multidisciplinary Medical Center "Asteri-med", Moscow

Healthy, full sleep is necessary for every child for recuperation and harmonious development. However, not every child sleeps well. If the problems with falling asleep are not related to the malaise of the crumbs, you should pay attention to the factors that contribute to a healthy night's sleep for the baby. They will help restore a good night's rest for the baby and make life much easier for his parents. So, what should parents remember?

Daily routine is important! In the human body, everything happens cyclically, including periods of sleep and wakefulness. In order for the whole organism to work smoothly, it is advisable not to shift the time of such cycles. Almost from the first days of a baby's life, it is worth deciding on his sleep and wakefulness regimen. At the same time, it is worth listening to the needs of the baby, but if possible, carefully bring them closer to the rules of life in the family. If, for example, parents are accustomed to going to bed around midnight, there is no point in trying to rock the baby at 20:00 so that the remaining time to walk around the house on tiptoe, and early in the morning to be awakened by a sleeping baby.

A place to sleep. Pediatricians recommend putting the baby in a crib in the parent's bedroom from birth to a year - in this case, you do not have to go to another room to feed the baby at night. But sleeping in the same bed with parents is undesirable - it is better to purchase a side bed in which the baby will sleep separately, but at the same time next to his mother.

Day dream. A newborn baby sleeps up to 20 hours a day, a one-year-old child - about 14 hours, at which time daytime sleep also enters. In order for the baby to sleep well at night, daytime sleep should not be long and strong. It is not necessary to wake the baby, it is enough not to create excessive comfort for sleeping during the day. Let the crib be well lit, and the household continue to go about their business. Thus, the depth of daytime sleep will be less, and at night the child will fall asleep well.

Bathing before bed. Warm water relaxes muscles, relieves stress, helps to calm down and tune in to a healthy sound sleep. Playing in the water is a great way to use up excess energy, which will also help you fall asleep. You can add Weleda bathing agent with calendula and medicinal herbs to the water - it will not only gently cleanse the baby's skin, but also help him tune in to a restful sleep, and the herbal extracts included in the product will accelerate the healing of the umbilical wound. Daily bathing is a wonderful family ritual that strengthens the bond between the baby and parents.

Feeding at night. The baby's stomach is small in size, and mother's milk is an easily digestible food. Quite quickly, the stomach becomes empty and the baby asks for a new portion of food. Night is no exception, therefore, in the first months of a baby's life, feeding at night is justified and necessary. By six months, this need is gradually fading away. If the baby continues to wake up at night, requiring feeding, it is worth consulting with a pediatrician - it may be necessary to optimize his diet and breastfeeding regimen.

Busy day - calm night. In order for the child to sleep well at night, it is worth spending an interesting and rich day. Games, walks, a lot of new experiences during the day - the best way to ensure that a tired baby falls asleep peacefully in the evening. But at the same time, it is important to remember that two hours before a night's sleep, active games should be excluded: the nervous system of a small child is still immature and hardly “switches” from active wakefulness to sleep. In the evening, it is better to read a book to your baby, put on an audio fairy tale, play calm games with him.

Sleep conditions should be as comfortable as possible. The air in the bedroom is fresh and cool (temperature not higher than 18C), the bed is comfortable, including a rather dense mattress and a moderately warm blanket. Bed linen should be made of natural materials, without coarse seams and scars. A pillow for a child up to a year is not needed at all.

Diaper. A baby under a year old cannot control urination, so at night it is inevitable. And of course, the baby will sleep better in a dry disposable diaper than in a wet diaper. But if the mother is ready to change the linen in the crib 1-2 times a night, and the baby falls asleep quickly and without problems after changing clothes, you can try to do without modern hygiene products.

The conditions that contribute to the falling asleep of a baby are simple and accessible to every family. Let the days of the baby be joyful and full of new experiences, and the nights - calm!

Healthy sleep of the child is very important. He is like food, water and air. Healthy sleep of a child is a source that gives energy, strength, rest. With the help of sleep, all the information received by the baby during the day is processed. Healthy sleep is a guarantee of well-being, health and comfort.

The organization of sleep in children must be approached with responsibility and thoughtfully. From childhood, you need to teach your children to the daily routine, time management, proper sleep. Sleep is very closely related to other components of life: hygiene, clothing, nutrition, outdoor walks and others. And who, if not parents, can control and teach their child to a healthy sleep.

Need for sleep depends on age. Newborns sleep about 20 hours a night, children 2 to 4 years old about 16 hours, 4 to 5 year olds should get 13 hours of sleep, 6 to 7 year olds should get 12 hours of sleep, and teenagers need 9 hours of sleep.

Of course, first of all, parents themselves must be convinced of the importance and necessity of sleep for the development of their heirs. Now everyone is aware that you need to go to bed at the same time, preferably a couple of hours before midnight. At night, walks and quiet conversations are useful.

The ritual of preparing for sleep is also important, helping to fall asleep quickly and get the maximum benefit from a night's rest for health and study. All these right words, however, help little and our children stay up late at night playing computer games and chatting on social networks.

Much of this is the fault of the parents themselves. Didn't show perseverance, didn't form a habit. They themselves do not set a proper example.

Whatever the rhythm of our life, no matter how busy and busy we are, it is necessary to think about the future of children. Feed, teach, educate - it's important. But to teach a child to live, alternating activity and rest in reasonable proportions, is no less important.

Rules for healthy sleep in a child

In order for sleep to be healthy and beneficial for the child, you need to follow the basic rules

• Fresh air and ventilated room.

The air in the child's room should not be humidified or stuffy. Children's leading pediatricians are advised to set the temperature in the room to +18 degrees. At this temperature, it is very easy to breathe, sleep is calm, and in the morning the baby will feel good. As the long-term practice of specialists shows, at this temperature the baby does not open. If you are worried that the child will freeze, then use warm and soft pajamas. Try to pay attention to the humidity of the air. If it is not possible to purchase a special humidifier, then place a couple of water containers near the crib or near the battery.

• Comfortable bed.

The bed is the basis of a healthy sleep in a child. It is better to purchase a bed with an orthopedic mattress. Its advantages: strength, rigidity, maintaining the position of the child. Up to 3 years, instead of a standard pillow, it is better to use a towel or a very thin pillow. A child's blanket should be light, natural, without impregnations and dyes. If there are ruffles, canopies on bedding or cribs, then, oddly enough, these are real dust collectors. And dust blocks the flow of fresh air.

• Lighting.

Children's room should be well lit. Since the child is here to play and study. But many children do not like to fall asleep in pitch darkness, so experts advise installing lamps around the perimeter of the room. The lamps will create a soft light that will help the child fall asleep easily. Pay attention to the curtains in the children's room. When the child is preparing for bed during the day, then with the help of them you can create twilight. Do not forget about the cleanliness of the curtains, they should not accumulate a lot of dust, wash them periodically.

• Ritual before bed.

Do the same things every night before bed. Doing the same thing every time, it will be like a ritual for the baby. He will know that first you need to swim, then read a book and fall asleep. Instead of a book, you can use a lullaby or turn on slow instrumental music. After the child falls asleep, the music must be turned off. Keep the house quiet: do not talk loudly, do not turn on loud music. Take care of your baby's sleep.

• Active day.

Spend more time outdoors, play active games. The day should be spent cheerfully, positively. Try to avoid tantrums and crying. Set up your baby in a good way.

You need to go to bed at the same time. Before going to bed, it is advisable not to play active games, do not run or jump.

It is desirable that the child sleeps only in his own crib, and not with his parents. You can choose one favorite toy, and let the baby fall asleep with it. This will replace his mother. And also this toy will be associated with sleep.

Be sure to kiss your baby before going to bed, wish you good night.

If you follow these rules systematically, then the baby's sleep will stabilize. The baby will get used to the regime and it will be easy to fall asleep. Sleep will also have a positive effect on the health of the baby, on his mood and behavior.

The main thing is to be there and support!

How to convince your child to go to bed on time.

What arguments can be made to convince your child to take nightly rest seriously and not disrupt this important physiological process for the sake of momentary pleasure?

For a girl, a girl, you can focus on the desire to look good. It is worth delicately complaining that today she looks a little worse than when she gets enough sleep. And the skin is paler, and the bags under the eyes, and the eyes are not as shiny as they could be. It usually makes an impression. It is important not to overdo it with criticism. A little bit of everything and very unobtrusively.

A teenager and a young man in search of arguments will have to show ingenuity. This is where the ambition game comes in. If it is important for a guy to win the rivalry among his peers with intellect, then catch him on some kind of oversight, reservation, notice that lack of sleep affects the sharpness of thought.

If the guy goes in for sports, then the emphasis should be on the loss of physical strength, loss of dexterity, compared with those days when sleep takes its rightful place in the daily routine. Emphasize that the result could be much more significant. Naturally, not sharply and not rudely. In passing, as if casually.

How to convince parents of the benefits of sleep for children.

This task is much more difficult. Just think, you didn’t get enough sleep today, you didn’t sleep tomorrow. And now irritability, fatigue, and health noticeably fails. But youth is frivolous. Force yourself to think about more than just today.

Parents should learn once and for all that the correct sleep of their children (at least 8 hours) and every time at the same time is a guarantee that your child will grow up healthy not only physically, but also psychologically.

Children, in whose families His Majesty the “daily routine”, occupies a dominant place, are less prone to depression, are balanced and able to withstand the trials that they will certainly meet in life.

They are able to cope with difficulties without resorting to addictions. They have less need to seek oblivion and dubious entertainment. They find it easier to find a common language with their peers, without entering into conflicts.

It is easy and joyful for them already because the body has received its share of rest and is ready to function actively and fully, without looking for additional reserves, without straining.

If you want your children, now and in the future, to live a full, happy life - make sure that the habit of going to bed at the same time becomes second nature.

Forming the habit of proper and healthy sleep is not very difficult. All you need is an understanding of the importance and a little time.

Shcherbonosova Tatyana Anatolyevna - Head of the Department of Nervous Diseases, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, KGBOU DPO "Institute for Advanced Training of Health Specialists" of the Ministry of Health of the Khabarovsk Territory, Candidate of Medical Sciences

Gorbulina Svetlana Vladimirovna - assistant of the Department of Nervous Diseases, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, KGBOU DPO "Institute for Advanced Training of Healthcare Professionals" of the Ministry of Health of the Khabarovsk Territory, neurologist, KGBUZ "Regional Clinical Hospital No. 1" named after. prof. S.I. Sergeeva Ministry of Health of the Khabarovsk Territory

Healthy sleep of a child is an opportunity to restore all body systems. Good sleep is a guarantee of children's health, because during the rest there is an adaptation of biological rhythms, an improvement in the functioning of the central nervous system. A properly constructed system of healthy sleep for a child allows you to develop a daily routine and provide rest. There are rules for healthy sleep for children, which we propose to learn about in this article. Based on the knowledge gained, you will be able to provide a full-fledged sleep of the child both during the day and at night.

An active and mobile preschooler, who overcomes many kilometers of distance during the day, needs a good rest, which restores his tired body.

But that's the trouble, that putting a fidget to bed is not an easy task. By the evening, my mother is already falling down and dreams of going to bed as soon as possible, and “it’s like a demon has moved into him”, and “sleep is not in one eye.” And such a story is repeated from day to day, or rather, from evening to evening, testing my mother's nerves for strength and adding to the list of fairy tales told at night and books read.

“I wonder how long he can stay awake if he doesn’t get laid at all?” Fortunately, no one conducted such cruel experiments on their own children, and they did not theoretically substantiate them. It is known that a person spends a third of his life in a dream. But this time cannot be considered deleted from life. The importance of a child's sleep is difficult to overestimate, since this is a genetic requirement. The body needs rest as much as water and food. During sleep, cardiac activity slows down, breathing becomes less frequent, blood pressure decreases, the activity of digestive enzymes fades away, but in a calm state, the body is more actively rid of toxins and is charged with new energy.

Good sleep is necessary to maintain mental and physical health, recovery processes go better in sleep. No wonder doctors say: sleep is the best medicine. During sleep, the body accumulates energy, which is then spent on active work. During sleep, growth hormone is more actively produced, and the child grows.

Sleep carries out the psychological protection of the body, since the human brain actively works in a dream, comprehending the information received during the day, analyzing it and making decisions. The stronger the sleep, the better the body restores the spent energy, the better the person feels, the more active his labor activity.

Sleep hygiene and biological rhythms in children

Each person's need for sleep is individual, but there are approximate norms for the duration of sleep that should be followed.

The sleep hygiene of children changes with age, so newborns should sleep 17-19 hours a day, a six-month-old baby - 15-16 hours, young children - 12-13 hours, younger students - 10-11 hours, teenagers - 9-10, adults - 8-9 hours, and after fifty - 6-7 hours.

It is not so much the duration of sleep that is important, but its quality. It is clear that a long, but superficial and intermittent sleep will not bring the desired rest, while a short, but deep sleep will make a person vigorous and active.

Sleep scientists have convincingly proven that people who "get up with roosters" get into shape faster, have better health, and more often achieve success in life than those who like to sleep before dinner.

It is known that among people, including among children, there are several types that differ from each other in the work of the biological clock. The biological rhythms of children have a significant impact on sleep.

Early birds, called "larks", wake up easily in the morning, jump out of bed in a good mood and full of vigor, the peak of their activity occurs in the morning hours. For these children, the regimes of preschool and school institutions recommended by teachers and hygienists are designed. In the evening, parents do not have any problems with putting the child to bed: I watched an evening fairy tale - and on the side. Everything is fine, only one "but". These children are a significant minority in the population.

On the other hand, the “owls”, which cause the most trouble to parents, educators and teachers, are represented by a significantly larger number. Try to get him out of bed in the morning and send him to kindergarten or school without scandal! It's even harder to get to bed at night. He will watch an evening fairy tale and a program “for those who do not sleep”, being in a cheerful state of mind.

Fortunately, there is an intermediate group of children, the most numerous, whose biorhythms can adapt to the desired regimen. These are the so-called pigeons.

Parents should know what chronological type their child belongs to in order to make appropriate adjustments to the daily routine. Of course, no one will draw up an individual schedule for an “owl” student. And the "owlet" - a preschooler brought up at home, can sleep longer and soak up the bed without harming his health and nerves. If he attends a kindergarten, then, in agreement with the teacher, he can be brought later.

The parents of a juvenile "lark" have a different problem. He wakes up neither light nor dawn and with his joyful chirping makes the whole family wake up. On weekends and holidays, his parents have one dream - to sleep. But this dream is not destined to come true for several more years, until the baby becomes independent and understands that it is not worth waking up mom and dad so early. Many parents deliberately delay their child's going to bed in the hope that he will sleep longer in the morning. Do not even hope! The internal biological alarm clock is always “set” to the same time, and none of your tricks will help.

The difference in the characters of "owls" and "larks" should be considered not only in relation to sleep. At breakfast, "larks" are eaten with appetite, and "owls" only spread it on a plate with a spoon, but at dinner they often require supplements. The highest activity of mental activity in "larks" is observed from 10 to 12 hours. This is the time of the 2nd-3rd lessons, when classes are held on especially difficult subjects and tests. And the “owl” child has not yet swayed and cheered up, his time will come in the period from 16 to 18 hours. So let him do his homework at this time.

How to set up a child's sleep schedule: set a child's sleep, what to do if he has gone astray

But back to the problem of sleep. Whatever chronotype your child belongs to, in the evening he must go to bed at a strictly defined time. Children's sleep and regimen are inseparable concepts and not possible without each other.

In order for the child to get up in the morning rested and in a good mood, you need to establish a sleep schedule for the child and develop a certain ritual of going to bed and not deviate from it under any circumstances (guests, tomorrow is a holiday, etc.).

Before the child establishes a sleep schedule, you need to understand that outdoor games and physical education are not recommended in the evening, but reading calm and kind books is welcome, excluding various "horror stories", "shooters" that make sleep restless, replete with colorful dreams.

The same must be said about watching television films that cultivate the image of a hero with powerful fists and firearms "guns" used for any reason, violating the child's ideas of good and evil.

Child psychologists have long been talking about the negative impact on the fragile psyche of a child of computer games with characters who have several lives in reserve, and therefore fearlessly destroy all living things in their path, reborn again. Such a pastime causes excitement, cruelty, aggression in children, contributes to the development of a careless attitude towards their own lives in the hope of having a spare.

If a child’s sleep pattern has gone astray, the first thing to do is to exclude from the daily routine these exciting entertainments that can cause insomnia and nightmares.

It is necessary to ventilate the children's room. It is good if the child is accustomed to sleep with an open window. Sleep in the fresh air is strong and sweet. The air temperature in the room should not exceed 20 °C.

If you put the child to bed, and in the adjacent room the TV is on at full power or a noisy showdown continues, you can’t talk about peaceful sleep, and the child will get up in the morning broken and not rested.

The child's bed should be comfortable, with a firm elastic mattress, a small cozy pillow that provides a comfortable position for the neck. Put dried mint, valerian roots in a linen bag and place at the head of a child's bed. This "sleeping pill" pillow will help your baby fall asleep faster.

The baby does not need heavy wadded and "hot" duvets. If he sleeps in flannelette or flannel pajamas, then at night he probably throws off his blanket. It is more convenient for a girl to sleep in a short shirt than in a toe-length nightgown, which prevents her from turning freely at night.

Place a massage mat with rubber spikes near the bed, so that, having risen in the morning, the child tramples on it for several minutes, irritating the active points on the feet and bringing himself into a cheerful state. Then the morning will be truly good and cheerful.

Children's sleep problems: how to teach your child to sleep during the day

Children's sleep problems include more than just difficulty falling asleep and being overexcited. The topic of daytime sleep deserves a separate discussion. Any mother wants her child to sleep after dinner, giving her time to calmly do housework or personal affairs. But many children resist daytime rest with all their might, and mother considers the time spent on putting the child to bed thrown to the wind. To accustom a child to sleep during the day should be smooth and gradual, paying maximum attention to this issue.

In the first year of life, the baby sleeps during the day several times - from 4 to 10, depending on age. At the age of 1 year to 1.5 years, daytime sleep is due to the baby 2 times for 1.5-2 hours. And after a year and a half - one daytime sleep lasting from 3 to 1.5 hours. First-graders are legally exempted from naps, although under some circumstances it is very useful to sleep an hour after dinner (sick, tired, overexcited, etc.).

Children attending kindergarten are more disciplined and, obeying the requirements of the regime, go to bed after dinner. These 1.5-2 hours of daytime sleep protect the baby from overexcitation, help to cope with increased stress, and protect the immune system.

"Home" children have long learned to win over mothers and grandmothers in many matters, including about afternoon rest. Putting them to bed is difficult, and sometimes it is impossible to get them to sleep. All the fairy tales have already been told, all the books have been read, mom's eyes are sticking together, and the baby does not even think of sleeping. After suffering for a week or two, mom gives up, and the issue of daytime sleep is removed from the agenda. Many children from 2-3 years old no longer fit into bed during the day. And yet it is wrong. Even if the baby could not fall asleep during the day, he lay down in a calm state, his legs rested, the load on the spine decreased, the cardiovascular and respiratory systems functioned without load and accumulated strength for vigorous activity.

Do not rush to deprive the child of daytime sleep. The younger the child, the more he needs rest in order for his cognitive activity to be more successful. Indeed, during sleep, the brain does not rest, but switches to another type of activity: from the perception of information to its processing, assimilation and memorization.

Causes of poor sleep: the child does not sleep well at night, cries and screams in a dream

The duration of sleep is an important criterion for good rest, but even more important is its quality. It is clear that 5 hours of deep and restful sleep will bring more benefits to the body than long sleep, but with frequent awakenings. The causes of poor sleep in a child may be associated with mental disorders or hyperactivity during the day. If the child does not sleep well at night and cries in his sleep, then this may be a signal to see a neurologist. Usually the child sleeps and cries in a dream with a hypermotor reaction, when he does not have an inhibition phase during falling asleep in the cerebral cortex.

If you ask any person what sleep disorders he knows, the answer will be the same: insomnia. And it will be very surprising to learn that such conditions as enuresis, sleepwalking (somnambulism), bruxism, nightmares are related to disturbances in the regulation of sleep depth.

Signs and causes of sleep disorders in children

Sleep disturbance in children can manifest itself not only in the form of nightmares and difficulty falling asleep.

Bruxism.“My child grinds his teeth at night. He has worms." With such a statement and a request to be examined for the presence of helminths, many mothers come to the pediatrician's office. Public opinion places the responsibility for nighttime teeth grinding on worms, which, although they cause significant harm to health, are not guilty of this phenomenon.

The causes of sleep disturbance in children in the form of bruxism, and this is what this phenomenon is called, are unknown, and its mechanism consists in the rhythmic contraction of the masticatory muscles, accompanied by an unpleasant creaking sound.

Almost half of preschoolers and younger schoolchildren have signs of sleep disturbance in children in the form of bruxism to one degree or another. In most children, short-term (less than 10 seconds) episodes of teeth grinding do not cause any problems and eventually disappear without a trace. Prolonged and intense bouts of bruxism can lead to damage to the teeth and surrounding soft tissues. In the morning, the child may complain of a headache or toothache and pain in the muscles of the face.

Experts associate the occurrence of bruxism with a stressful state (internal anxiety, tension, anger) and recommend the following measures to combat it:

• before going to bed, invite the child to gnaw on a carrot, an apple, a turnip, so that the chewing muscles work properly and rest at night, and do not strive for involuntary contraction;
• apply a hot compress on the face (on the lower jaw from ear to ear) before going to bed to relax the muscles;
• develop a certain ritual of going to bed, excluding outdoor games, watching "horror films" on TV and the battle with a computer monster;
• offer to take a walk in the fresh air, and then soak in a warm bath;
• Avoid high carbohydrate foods and caffeinated drinks at dinner.
• take a closer look at the child’s behavior: is there any problem bothering him? Talk heart to heart with him, help get rid of annoying thoughts. Your participation and friendly tone will help relieve tension and eliminate muscle spasm.

If your child grinds his or her teeth constantly and violently, see a dentist. He may need appliances to correct his bite or special splints to protect his teeth from damage.

Other sleep disorders in young preschool children

Enuresis. About 5% of children older than 4 years, including younger students, suffer from involuntary urination during sleep. This sleep disturbance in preschool children is not only a medical, but a social and hygienic problem that makes it difficult for a child to communicate with peers in kindergarten, in a health camp, in a sanatorium, in a hospital, in any other place where he will spend at least one night . This urinary disorder is twice as common in boys.

Among the causes of enuresis are organic diseases of the brain and spinal cord, mental illness and disorders in the urinary system.

In recent years, the increase in children suffering from enuresis is directly related to the uncontrolled use of disposable diapers, the constant wearing of which interferes with the formation of the correct urination reflex.

The older the child becomes, the more he suffers from his illness, the more sophisticated bullying he is subjected to by his peers, who found out about his misfortune after the very first night spent in a public institution. The feeling of inferiority, inferiority will increase every day, and against this background, a severe mental disorder may develop. Do not expect favors from nature in the hope that "everything will pass by itself", contact a urologist, your child needs urgent qualified help.

It may be necessary to become a patient of a neurologist who will teach the child to independently control the fullness of the bladder and empty it, as well as interrupt and resume urination. For this, there are special exercises that ultimately lead to the elimination of enuresis.

There are also medications that help fight the disease. But they can only be recommended by a doctor who knows the cause of the phenomenon.

Currently, in every children's clinic there is a new method for the diagnosis and treatment of primary nocturnal enuresis, developed by doctors and recognized by the World Health Organization. A special algorithm helps the pediatrician to prescribe the necessary examination and choose the right therapy for the treatment of primary enuresis. This method allows you to distinguish between primary and secondary enuresis, which is a consequence of serious diseases and therefore needs to be treated by the right specialists.

. There are many fantastic stories about this phenomenon, also called somnambulism, or sleepwalking, telling about walking on a rooftop, about murders in a state of sleep, about cases of amnesia, etc. Such stories are successfully exploited by the directors of the Latin American "soap" when creating the next " masterpiece."

In fact, there are not so many sleepwalkers in our world, and their journeys around the apartment do not end so tragically.

These sleep disorders in young children manifest themselves as follows: 1-1.5 hours after falling asleep, the child sits in bed, gets up, dresses, walks around the apartment. He can sit down at the table and continue drawing or playing the game he did before going to bed. His eyes are open, but his gaze is absent, and he does not respond to a call by name or answers in monosyllables, not always clearly. After some time (20-30 minutes), he again goes to bed and sleeps until morning. Waking up, he does not remember his adventures or remembers them as if he were dreaming. Usually, children from 5 to 8 years old with signs of increased nervous excitability are prone to such adventures.

In some children, this sleep disorder occurs as a separate episode. As a rule, mom can name the reason that led to sleepwalking and is associated with overexcitation due to a violation of the usual daily routine: she was visiting, attended an evening theater or circus performance, watched a “horror movie” on TV, quarreled with mom, etc. A if the cause is known, then it is clear how to treat the effect. Avoid overexcitation in the evening, drink warm milk with honey before going to bed, light sedatives: infusion of valerian, motherwort, novopassitis, homeopathic remedies designed to improve sleep in children.

Other children have nightly sleepwalking several times a month. And this requires an immediate consultation with a neurologist and a serious analysis of the intra-family situation and attitudes towards the child on the part of adults. Psychologists say that a little lunatic is most likely deprived of attention and love in his family and needs not so much pills and potions as mother's hugs, affection and a calm home environment.

Create comfortable conditions for him, excluding excitement and excitement in the evening hours. Before going to bed, walks in the fresh air, reading good books and listening to calm music are recommended. Dinner should be 2.5-3 hours before bedtime, and it should consist of easily digestible low-fat dishes without stimulating spices (mustard, vinegar, ketchup) and drinks (coffee, cocoa).

TV and computer - in "moderate dosage" and, if possible, in the first half of the day.

Avoid traumatic situations for children. No violence against the personality of the child! If he doesn't want to eat, don't force him. He can’t tear himself away from the game when it’s time to go to bed, don’t “pull” him abruptly out of the game situation in an orderly manner: “Quickly! Immediately! I told someone! Thus, you create the prerequisites for returning to the game in a somnambulistic state. Give your child time to calmly finish the important thing for him and get ready for bed.

What to do if a child wanders around the apartment in the middle of the night without waking up? Do not try to stir up and wake him up, so as not to scare the child. You can invite him to bed in a quiet, calm voice. If the request does not reach his mind, just wait 10-15 minutes and he will go to bed on his own. But create safe conditions for his travels: keep windows and doors closed, put piercing and cutting devices in an inaccessible place, safely hide lighters and matches. The sleepwalker perfectly coordinates movements and moves freely in space, but he does not know the feeling of fear, so going out the open window or leaving the house barefoot and in pajamas is not a problem for him.

Teach your baby to sleep on the right side. Even Avicenna warned against sleeping on the back as conducive to nightmares and somnambulism.

If sleepwalking recurs from time to time, give your child a mild sedative before bed.

Yactation. Some children, before falling asleep or during sleep, make rhythmic movements of the head on the pillow from side to side or, standing on all fours, swing the torso back and forth. This phenomenon is called yactation, it appears after the age of six months and is observed most often in children with increased nervous excitability or neurosis. Sometimes, when falling asleep, the child even sings, showing that the process gives him pleasure. The duration and amplitude of the rocking can be quite significant, but the sleeping child continues to sleep. Psychologists consider this phenomenon as a forced replacement of the missing rhythmic movements necessary for the normal maturation process. As a rule, yactation disappears spontaneously after 3-4 years.

Snogovorenis. Many children talk in their sleep: they say single words or whole “speech”, sometimes they cry or laugh without waking up. Verbal excitation is often combined with motor excitement: the child tosses and turns in bed, makes sharp movements with his legs, sometimes even falls out of bed. The reason is always the same - overexcitation: I got a lot of new and varied impressions, I was in an unusual environment, I talked with a lot of people, I quarreled with a friend or family members, etc., etc.

Night terrors and nightmares. The emotional sphere of the child is characterized by insufficient maturity of feelings, the uncertainty of bodily sensations, the impossibility of a critical assessment of impressions, therefore, the occurrence of transient reactions of protest, despair, irritability, whims, that is, the manifestation of emotional disorders, one of which is night terror, is characteristic of childhood.

In the middle of the night, more often 1-2 hours after falling asleep, the child wakes up in a state of acute arousal, accompanied by screaming, crying, an expression of horror on the face and vegetative disorders: redness or blanching of the skin, sweating, palpitations. A small child can “roll up” to a momentary cessation of breathing. Night terrors most often appear in babies aged 2 to 4 years, occur in the stage of deep sleep. These episodes are short, lasting no more than 10 minutes. Contact with the child at this moment is difficult, since he is not aware of his surroundings.

No matter how confused you are by what happened, there is no cause for concern. Night terrors in children testify not at all to serious mental disorders, but to violent emotional experiences. Try to put him to bed, saying kind words, stroking his head, and he will fall asleep again, and in the morning he will not remember the night incident. And you do not remind him of this, so as not to fix attention on unpleasant events. Night terrors occur less and less with age, and adolescents are already completely getting rid of them.

Night terrors are very different from nightmares, which can be identified with nightmares. After all, nightmares occur during that stage of sleep, which is characterized by the presence of dreams. The child wakes up screaming and crying, jumps out of bed, runs somewhere. The content of the dream is incomprehensible to the child, so he is able to talk about it in monosyllables: “scary”, “I'm afraid”, “the babai came”, etc. child by a "terrible uncle", "terrible vampires" and other characters prompted by the immoderate fantasy of a loving mother or grandmother.

If a child is prone to nightmares, do not scold him and do not seek to revive the Spartan traditions in education. Courageous dads often sin with this, who begin to shame the baby for “loose nurses”, compare it with a “cowardly girl”, forbid their mother to caress him and take him “under the wing” to his bed. Making a baby overcome fear in loneliness and darkness is not the best educational method, threatening to turn a single episode into repeated and obsessive fears and the appearance of a speech disorder in the form of stuttering.

The child is not able to distinguish a terrible dream from a real life situation, and waking up in the middle of the night, he cannot remember the content of the dream, but the feeling of horror he has just experienced does not leave him for a long time. Therefore, it is necessary to calm the baby, caress, hug, drive away nightmares, create a comfortable environment and make it clear that he is under your reliable protection.

If the child is afraid to sleep in his room, leave the door open, turn on a nightlight with soft diffused light, remove objects from the nursery that, in twilight or darkness, remind the baby of monsters with their outlines. By the way, it is the huge soft toys-animals that inhabit the children's room and take on ominous shapes in the dark that cause terrible emotions in a child who wakes up in the middle of the night.

The main conditions for normal sleep in a child are a calm, friendly environment within the family and adherence to the regimen.