Childhood sleep problems, do they affect your family?

Is your child sleep deprived? Do you find it difficult to get out of bed? Are you falling behind in school or just in a bad mood?

Although we all need enough sleep to function well during the day, it is more important that children get enough sleep, because it is only during sleep that the body produces growth hormones. These hormones are essential for the healthy development of the child.

Approximately one in three children is sleep deprived, an alarming statistic. So is there anything we parents can do about it?

There are several reasons why children may not be getting the sleep they need. We all know the usual things that keep our children up at night. Lack of exercise and sun, stress or anxiety or not having a good sleep routine. There are also some lesser-known causes of sleep problems in children, and we’ll look at the main ones here.

Television and computers in the bedroom.

Computer games and TV in the bedroom are among the most common reasons why your child does not get enough sleep. Playing computer games is both entertaining and stimulating. If your son uses computers or TV to wind down before bed, she’s probably keeping him awake.

Television can stimulate our children’s minds so that it is difficult to relax, especially if it is a scary program,

noise and light

Even dim light can make it hard to fall asleep. Light prevents the brain from producing the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin. The bright, flickering TV or computer screen prevents this essential sleep hormone from forming.

fizzy drinks

You wouldn’t give your child a cup of coffee or tea in the evening, but how about a candy bar or glass of cola at lunchtime? Caffeine is a notorious stimulant and most of us know better than to drink coffee late at night. But did you know that caffeine can take 6-8 hours longer to leave our body? That can of cola after school could keep your child up long past their normal bedtime.

child stress

Is your child always busy? School, homework, sports, training… Kids sometimes have trouble fitting it all in. This can cause stress and can be one of the main causes of sleep problems in children, since at the end of the day there is no time to relax.

Childhood obesity and sleep apnea

Overweight children may be prone to childhood sleep apnea, which is a serious condition in which the body doesn’t get enough oxygen. Childhood sleep apnea is a real risk for overweight children. If you suspect that sleep apnea might be affecting your child, seek medical attention quickly.

childhood nightmares

Dreams are a necessary and natural way to process what happens in our lives, but does your child have nightmares or bad dreams? Children who have nightmares regularly sometimes resist the temptation to sleep because they are afraid of frightening dreams.

Here are some of the reasons why your child may be sleep deprived. As you probably realized, they apply to us adults too!