Childhood sleep problems stem from a variety of possible causes. Often, sleep issues result from poor sleep habits or anxiety, according to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. Many children have tremendous difficulty separating from their parents and being left alone with their thoughts. Behavioral treatments of children's sleep problems work effectively and endure longer than medicine, according to the University of Michigan Health Services. Dietary modifications and herbal remedies are additional options to help sleepless children and frustrated parents.
Deal with Anxiety
Sometime well before bedtime, talk with your child about her sleep problems. Issues with peers, anxiety about being alone, distressing memories and fears about upcoming events can plague sensitive minds, especially once the lights go out. Identify the issues that pester your child and deal with them during the light of day. Reinforce the notion that bedtime presents an opportunity for a nightly vacation from worry and stress. Help your child develop self-care strategies that transform anxiety-provoking thoughts into self-consoling fantasies or diversions.
Music
Many children find music comforting. Help your child find distraction from his anxieties and worries by putting together a sleepy-time play list. Purchase a lullabies CD, or make a tape of your child's favorite light music. Enlist your child in the selection process, but don't allow raucous music or lyrics with dark imagery.
Bedtime Routine
Develop a nighttime routine that establishes a stable diurnal wakefulness and sleep schedule. Make bedtime happen around the same time every night, adding only an hour or so to bedtime on non-school nights. Shut off the computer, video games and TV at least an hour before bedtime. Create habits that signal bedtime is nearing, and make sure the evening is calm and comforting. For example, help your child to expect that at a certain time it is "pajama time." The TV goes off, teeth get brushed and then the child spends quality time with mom or dad, reading and talking in bed. Bond with your child, and then bid her goodnight.
If she struggles with being alone, tell her that as long as she is quiet in bed with her eyes closed, you will check on her in 10 minutes. Establish a no-talking rule. When you check on her, if she is awake, don't allow discussion. Rub her back for a moment and tell her you will check again in 15 minutes. This approach should appease her separation anxiety.
Herbs
Herbal teas have been used for hundreds, and in some cases, thousands of years to aid sleep. Chamomile, passionflower and valerian teas have mild sedative effects, enhancing calmness and assisting sleep, as noted by Phylis Balch, CNC in "Prescription for Nutritional Healing." Do not use sugar to sweeten the tea, as simple carbohydrates can boost arousal and activity.
Melatonin
Melatonin, a hormone produced by the pineal gland, regulates sleep. Synthetic supplemental forms of melatonin are used to treat sleep disturbance and chronic insomnia in children with psychiatric, developmental and neurological disorders. Though effective in clinical applications for children with medical issues, medical professionals do not widely recommend melatonin to treat children with garden-variety sleep problems. Behavioral strategies should be tried first. If your child has a severe sleep disturbance, consult your family physician to rule out underlying medical conditions. Likewise, speak with your physician before trying herbal or supplemental treatments.
References
- American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry: Children's Sleep Problems
- Keep Kids Healthy: Melatonin for Sleep Disturbances
- "Prescription for Nutritional Healing;" Phyllis A. Balch; 2006
- University of Michigan Health System: Sleep Problems
