Creating a routine and being consistent is the key to getting better sleep. Consistency works with circadian rhythms to enhance wakefulness and promote sleep at the appropriate times.
An activity that is soothing to help prepare the brain for sleep
Lack of stress and stimulation of all kinds
Keep lights in the room dim and low to the ground
If you need to move around in the middle of the night or get up, try to use red lights as they do not wake up your brain as much
Avoiding screen time and caffeine leading up to bedtime
Chill out - Try to keep the sleep environment below 70° because this will lower your child's core body temperature that prepares their body for sleep.
Put the food away - Avoid eating heavy meals within 2 hours of bedtime.
Keep the lights low - Minimize light exposure as much as you can safely. Ideally, keep the lights close to the ground.
Bonus Tip Use sunlight to your advantage! Do your best to make sure that your child is getting direct sunlight first thing in the morning and at any other light changes (sunset).
Stay still - Extreme exercise and other physical stress promote wakefulness, so avoid them both 2 hours leading up to bedtime.
Be Positive - Positive affirmations before bedtime help boost confidence - which boosts testosterone levels that are known to help improve the quality of sleep. Adding positive affirmations to the nighttime routine will help everyone sleep better!
Gives children a sense of control and decreases anxiety and stress (find the source you had)
Strengthens the entrainment of circadian rhythms
Leads to higher quality sleep
Naps are a good thing but must be carefully used. Once your child is past the age of taking naps regularly, take the following into consideration:
Naps should be taken in 20-minute intervals and not exceed an hour and a half. Taking longer naps could lead to sleep inertia and throw off circadian rhythms.
The best naps are taken between 2:00 and 5:00 PM
Naps after 5:00 PM disturb sleep schedules and circadian rhythms.
Try to avoid taking naps in total darkness and sleeping through sunlight changes
Try to get your child exposed to direct sunlight as soon as possible. Getting the direct sunlight will help entrain your child's circadian rhythm and flush out their remaining adenosine and decrease the production of melatonin. Also, making sure your child is outside during light changes will also help entrain their circadian rhythms that will help them sleep better and stay awake.
When sleeping, everyone's body temperature drops and as we wake up, our body temperature rises. Knowing how to manipulate body temperature to our advantage helps us stay alert and get better quality of sleep. Try to keep your child's room chilled where they sleep during the night. Then, in the morning try to warm up the temperature of the room. Also, encouraging your child to move around a little bit will raise their body temperature which will help keep them awake. Jumping jacks with your Apple Jacks is a great way to start the day!
Exercise helps boost moods and raise body temperature. Also, doing exercise early in the morning, like within 2 hours of waking up, helps improve wakefulness throughout the day. Some light exercise right after waking up helps increase the body temperature which will help your child wake up and stay up.
Establishing a routine will not only improve your child's sleep quality but also help increase their wakefulness throughout the day. Going back to circadian rhythms, the more queues the body has for when it should be doing what, the stronger the influence of the circadian rhythms. So start setting up those routines!