We all know that it is important to get a good night’s sleep at any age. It is important for maintaining good health and for recharging energy. Sleep deprivation leads to children feeling tired and having poorer concentration and attention span during the day. This affects their ability to learn as their reasoning and processing skills are slower. Children will also show more irritability, frustration, and be more accident prone. Anxiety and depression is also linked to sleep loss.

Children between the ages of 5-12 years need about 10-11 hours of sleep per night on average.

See this sleep chart for exactly how much sleep kids should get:

View WebMD

One way to ensure that your child gets a quality sleep at night is to provide a quiet and predictable pre-bedtime routine. The routine before bed can start an hour or so beforehand. Refer to the clock as bedtime approaches. You will be already familiar with the excuses your child tends to use. Build these into the routine – have a drink of water by the bed, decide what easy food is allowed if they say they are hungry, put on the night light, remind them that they must stay in bed now.

Reading is an excellent way to relax for 10-15 minutes before bed. Some children need their parents to stay a bit longer with them as they fall asleep. This can be done as a transition strategy, but the point is for the child to put themselves to sleep.

Other reassurances can be provided if your child is particularly anxious at bedtime:

- Quiet, soothing music which blocks out other noises

- A worry box to put their worries in before bed or a worry doll to hold

- Tell stories about characters that overcome worries/fears (check the library)

- Use positive phrases that reinforce the idea of having a restful sleep and being full of energy in the morning

- Teach and practice relaxation strategies so they are familiar with them and can enjoy them at bedtime on their own.  CDs can be a wonderful way to first practice with your child.   Check out this website for helpful strategies to try for better sleep for your child!