Wellbeing
Sleep Health
While we know sleep is essential for good health, research shows that many children and young people are not getting enough sleep on school nights. This can affect thinking, concentration, memory, reaction times and mood.
Research shows about 12% of primary school-aged children, a quarter of 12- to 15-year-olds and half of 16- to 17-year-olds don’t get enough sleep on school nights. The recommended amount of time to sleep for primary school-aged children is 9 to 11 hours. For teenagers, it’s 8 to 10 hours.
Signs that your child is not getting enough sleep can include:
· low mood and irritability during social interactions
· reluctance or arguing about getting off devices and going to bed
· falling asleep during the day
· difficulties waking up for school and sleeping in late on weekends to catch up
· changes to communicating or interacting at home.
You can help your child to improve their sleep by:
· establishing a regular sleep pattern and consistent bedtime routine
· supporting them to avoid using electronic devices such as smartphones before going to bed and in bed
· encouraging your child to exercise and spend time outside in daylight, steering clear of vigorous activity in the hour before sleep
· encouraging them to wind down and relax before going to bed.
If your child is still having trouble sleeping, has persistent problems with low mood, excessive daytime sleepiness, restlessness in bed, severe snoring or wakening unrefreshed, despite getting adequate length sleep, they should see a doctor.
For more information on sleep health, you can refer to: · Sleep tips for children and Facts about sleep for parents and school staff, from the Sleep Health Foundation · Why sleep is so important, from the Kids Helpline’s · Sleep explained, from the Better Health Channel.
Positive Parenting
Positive Parenting is a website set up specifically for parents of children between 0-12 years. Below is a sample of an article from the website.
HELP CHILDREN GET THE SLEEP THEY NEED - POSITIVELY
When a child won’t go to bed without arguing, or if they won’t stay in their bed, they end up overtired. That begins to affect their overall health, behaviour, and learning ability.
Understanding more about what you can do to get your daily routines running smoothly can help everybody get a good night’s sleep. It’s a lot easier with the right support!
WHAT ARE COMMON BEDTIME AND SLEEP PROBLEMS?
Toddlers and children who don’t want to go to bed may dawdle or keep finding reasons to avoid going to sleep. Children may delay bedtime by saying they’re not tired, ask for yet another story or drink, or become frustrated or upset.
Children may ignore instructions, complain or refuse to get into their bed, or repeatedly call out once they’re in bed. Some children will only sleep if not in their own bed or will get up during the night and crawl into someone else’s bed
Learning more about sleep patterns and problems can help you sort out and prevent bedtime battles with confidence.
WHAT CAUSES BEDTIME PROBLEMS?
Learning to settle into a sleep pattern often takes quite some practice and not every child is the same. Sometimes a temporary sleep problem that began when a child was unwell, over-excited, over-stimulated, or stressed, continues and becomes a new pattern.
It’s easy for parents to react (without meaning to) when a child doesn’t want to go to bed by arguing, being drawn into long conversations and accidentally rewarding a child’s sleep-avoiding behaviours.
Children like boundaries and are more likely to go to bed without a fuss when they have a consistent bedtime routine.