The importance of healthy sleep for children. How to improve healthy baby sleep

Healthy, full sleep of a child is the basis for correct mental and physical development.

Sleep is just as important as food, drink and safety in a child's life. For some, this does not seem obvious, which is why many of us do not get adequate sleep, which is so necessary for the proper development and functioning of the body.

Of course, we do not do much on purpose. But in reality, we often do not just think about how much and how we sleep, and that this could be a problem. Working parents, school, after school, other lifestyle factors, missed naps, late falling asleep, early waking up. At first glance, skipping a nap or falling asleep later than usual is not that important, but it is not. In addition, the consequences of this may manifest themselves on the child in the future.

To understand the importance of sleep in the development and growth of a child, you must first understand what happens during sleep, what is healthy sleepwhat happens if a child does not get the required amount or quality of sleep, or both at the same time. You also need to be aware of how sleep affects activity, vigor, relaxation, stress, and how this can affect temperament, academic performance and behavior in general.

In his book "Healthy Sleep, healthy childMark Weissbluth, M.D., gives the following interesting and insightful comment on sleep:

“Sleep is a source of energy that gives rest and activates strength. During nighttime sleep and daytime sleep, the "brain batteries" are recharged. Sleep improves thinking ability in the same way that lifting weights increases muscle mass... Sleep increases the ability to concentrate, in addition, it allows you to simultaneously relax physically and activate mentally. In this case, the next morning the person feels great. "

The foundation of healthy sleep

For a healthy and full sleep you need:

Get enough sleep

Continuous sleep ( good quality sleep)

The required amount according to the person's age

A daily routine that is in harmony with the natural biological rhythms of a person (internal clock or circadian rhythms)

Failure to follow any of the steps may result in sleep deprivation symptoms.

Optimal activity: Healthy sleep allows a person to function normally upon waking up, which is called being optimally active. We know various forms wakefulness, ranging from lethargy to hyperactivity. Optimal activity is the state in which the interaction with our environment is best perceived and occurs at the time of the longest concentration of attention and increased ability to learn and remember. This can be seen in a child when he is calm, attentive, polite, with wide-open eyes, he studies the world around him, absorbs all emotions and impressions, and easily communicates with others. A change in the state of activity affects behavior and the ability to perceive new knowledge.

Sleep duration: To grow, develop and function normally, the baby must get enough sleep. The amount of sleep a child needs varies by age. Remember that every child is unique and each has its own characteristics.

Sleep quality: Sleep quality is continuous sleep that allows the baby to go through all the necessary stages and phases of sleep. Sleep quality is just as important as quantity. It plays an important role in the development of the nervous system.

Short daytime sleep:naps also play an important role in sleep quality. Sleep during the day helps to optimize the child's activity and also affects development and learning ability. Nap slightly different from a night's sleep. Daytime sleep differs not only in the nature of the sleep itself, but also in that it performs different functions at different times of the day. This is why the length of daytime sleep is extremely important and why they must be in harmony with the biological rhythms of the child.

Internal sync: We wake up; we are awake. We get tired; we go to bed. This is nature's rule. These are all part of the natural, everyday biological rhythms.

In the first months of a child's life, these rhythms are irregular, but with age they are gradually synchronized and established. Best and most of all, a person rests when sleep (day and night) is in harmony with these rhythms. Lack of such synchronization can disrupt rhythms or a cycle, and this prevents falling asleep and continuing to sleep soundly, for example. This can result in excessive fatigue and nervousness in the child. Therefore, it is very important to regulate the amount of sleep of the child and adjust your daily routine so that it matches the biological clock of the child as much as possible.

Sleep disorders

Sleep disturbance, whatever the cause, can have significant and even serious consequences. In his book Healthy Sleep, Healthy Child, Mark Weissbluth writes:

“Sleep problems affect the child's condition not only at night, but also during the day. Sleep problems affect mental performance, alertness, concentration, and mood. Children become impulsive, hyperactive, or lazy. "

Chronic lack of sleep:It is important to understand that sleep deprivation builds up: daytime sleepiness gradually increases. This means that even minor changes in sleep patterns over time will turn into serious consequences. Conversely, small changes to increase sleep duration can have a positive effect. It all depends on the nature and extent of the problem.

Fatigue: Even at first glance, a little lack of sleep can make a child tired. It is difficult for a child to remain active, fatigue appears, even if the child does not participate at all in any activity.

Especially during the day, spending time with friends and family, the child wants to be part of the action and his response to fatigue is to “fight it”. Therefore, the child tries to remain vigorous and active. This provokes the formation of a hormone such as adrenaline, due to which the child becomes hyperactive. In this case, the child is awake, but exhausted. Excessive nervousness, irritability and fussiness begin to appear. The child cannot concentrate and study for a long time. This is why tired children seem overexcited, hyperactive. Now you understand that when a child is so excited, he will not be able to fall asleep quickly and easily.

Interestingly, it also provokes frequent awakenings at night. Therefore, do not allow your seemingly active, tireless child to stay up late. Than earlier child go to bed, the better for him. Sometimes even 15-20 minutes can have a positive effect. You will be very surprised to find out how easy it is to put a sleeping child to bed.

Interesting observations

Below you will find results from various studies that illustrate the difficulties and changes in the child's behavior due to sleep problems (from the book by Mark Weissbluth "Healthy Sleep, Healthy Child" and Gary Ezzo and Robert Bucknam "How to Raise an Smart Child"):

Children cannot outgrow sleep problems; problems need to be solved.

The longer the child sleeps during the day, the higher the attention span.

Children who sleep little during the day are more irritable, need more companionship, and cannot be entertained or amused on their own.

Newborns who sleep a lot during the day are happier, more outgoing, and less dependent. The behavior of children who do not sleep much may be similar to that of hyperactive children.

A small but constant lack of sleep accumulates and is constantly reflected in the brain.

Children with increased IQ any age group sleep a lot.

Improving sleep quality in children with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) has a positive effect on peer relationships and school performance.

Healthy sleep has a positive effect on neurological development and is considered to be the main means of preventing many behavioral problems and impaired academic performance.

How parents can help

As parents, we must feel and protect the sleep of the child, since it is we who ensure their safety, we regularly prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner for them. We are primarily responsible for the hygiene of the baby's sleep, so we need to start teaching the baby about proper hygiene as early as possible. It is much easier to instill good habits than to correct bad ones.

By instilling the right attitude to sleep with daily attention and care, you will grow up a happy, confident, independent, outgoing child. But you must not forget about yourself: you also need good sleep.

Healthy sleep of a child is an opportunity to restore all body systems. A good sleep is the key to the health of children, because during the rest there is an adaptation of biological rhythms, an improvement in the functioning of the central nervous system. A properly built system of healthy sleep for a child allows you to develop a daily routine and ensure rest. There are rules for healthy sleep for children, which we suggest to learn about in this article. Based on the knowledge gained, you will be able to ensure a full sleep of the child both during the day and at night.

An active and mobile preschool child, who overcomes many kilometers during the day, needs good rest, which restores his tired body.

But the trouble is that putting a fidget to bed is not an easy task. By the evening, my mother is already falling off her feet and dreams of going to bed as soon as possible, and “as if a demon has possessed him” and “sleep in no eye”. And such a story repeats itself from day to day, or rather, from evening to evening, testing the strength of my mother's nerves and replenishing the list of fairy tales told for the night and books read.

“I wonder how long he can stay awake if he’s not put to bed at all?” Fortunately, no one conducted such cruel experiments on their own children, and they did not substantiate them theoretically. It is known that a person spends a third of his life in a dream. But this time cannot be considered erased from life. The importance of a child's sleep is difficult to overestimate, since it is a genetic need. The body needs rest no less than water and food. During sleep, cardiac activity slows down, breathing becomes less frequent, blood pressure decreases, the activity of digestive enzymes fades away, but in a calm state the body is more actively freed from toxins and is charged with new energy.

Adequate sleep is necessary to maintain mental and physical health; recovery processes are better in a dream. No wonder doctors say: sleep - best medicine... During sleep, the body accumulates energy, which is then spent on active labor activity... During sleep, growth hormone is produced more actively, and the child grows.

Sleep provides psychological protection of the body, since human brain in a dream, he actively works, comprehending the information received during the day, analyzing it and working out solutions. The deeper the sleep, the better the body restores the spent energy, the better a person feels, the more active his labor activity.

Sleep hygiene and biological rhythms of children

The need for sleep is individual for each person, but there are approximate norms of sleep duration that should be adhered to.

Sleep hygiene of children changes with age, for example, newborns should sleep 17-19 hours a day, a six-month-old baby - 15-16 hours, children early age- 12-13 hours, junior schoolchildren - 10-11 hours, teenagers - 9-10 hours, adults - 8-9 hours, and after fifty - 6-7 hours.

It is not so much the duration of sleep that matters as its quality. It is clear that a long but superficial and intermittent sleep will not bring the desired rest, whereas a short but deep sleep will make a person vigorous and active.

Sleep scientists have shown convincingly that people who "get up with roosters" get in shape faster, have better health, and are more likely to succeed in life than those who like to sleep before lunch.

It is known that among people, including children, there are several types that differ from each other in the work of the biological clock. The biological rhythms of children have a significant impact on sleep.

Early birds, called "larks", wake up easily in the morning, jump out of bed in good mood and full of vigor, the peak of their activity occurs in the morning hours. The regimes of preschool and school institutions recommended by teachers and hygienists are designed for these children. In the evening, the parents do not have any problems with putting the child to bed: he looked at the evening fairy tale - and at the side. All is well, only one "but". These children constitute a significant minority in the population.

But the "owls", which cause the most troubles for parents, educators and teachers, are represented by a much larger number. Try to get him out of bed in the morning and send him to kindergarten or school without a scandal! Even harder to get to bed in the evening. He will watch the evening fairy tale and the program “for those who do not sleep”, being in a cheerful state of mind.

Fortunately, there is an intermediate group of children, the most numerous, whose biorhythms can be adjusted to the desired regime. These are the so-called pigeons.

Parents need to know which chronological type their child belongs to in order to make appropriate adjustments to the daily routine. Of course, no one will draw up an individual schedule for the "owl" student. And the "owlet" - a preschool child, brought up at home, can sleep longer and soak up the bed without harm to health and nerves. If he attends a kindergarten, then in agreement with the teacher, he can be brought later.

Parents of a young "lark" have a different problem. He wakes up neither light nor dawn and with his joyful chirping makes the whole family wake up. On weekends and holidays, his parents have one dream - to sleep. But this dream is not destined to come true for several more years, until the baby becomes independent and understands that it is not worth waking mom and dad so early. Many parents deliberately delay a child's going to bed in the hope that he will get some more sleep in the morning. Do not even hope! The internal biological alarm clock is always "turned on" at the same time, and none of your tricks will help.

The difference in the personalities of "owls" and "larks" should be considered not only in relation to sleep. At breakfast, "larks" eat with appetite, and "owls" are just spread on a plate with a spoon, but at dinner they often require additives. The highest activity of mental activity in "larks" is observed from 10 to 12 hours. This is the time of the 2-3rd lessons, when classes are held in especially difficult subjects and test papers... And the “owl” child has not yet swayed and cheered up, his time will come in the period from 16 to 18 hours. So let him do his homework at this time.

How to establish a child's sleep pattern: establish a child's sleep, what to do if he is out of order

But back to the problem of sleep. Whatever chronotype your child belongs to, in the evening he should go to bed at a strictly defined time. Children's sleep and regimen are inseparable concepts and are not possible without each other.

In order for the child to get up in the morning rested and in a good mood, it is necessary to establish the child's sleep regimen and develop a certain ritual of going to bed and not retreat from it under any circumstances (guests, tomorrow is a holiday, etc.).

Before a child sets a sleep regimen, you need to understand that outdoor games and physical education are not recommended in the evening, but reading calm and kind books is encouraged, excluding various "horror stories", "shooters" that make sleep restless, teeming with colorful dreams.

The same should be said about watching television films that cultivate the image of a hero with powerful fists and gunshot "guns" used for any reason, disrupting the child's notions of good and evil.

Child psychologists have long been talking about the negative impact on the fragile psyche of a child of computer games with characters who have several lives in reserve, and therefore fearlessly destroying all living things on their way, reviving again. Such a pastime causes excitement, cruelty, aggression in children, contributes to the development of a careless attitude towards their own life in the hope of having a spare.

If a child has a sleep disorder, the first thing to do is to exclude from the daily routine these exciting entertainment that can cause insomnia and terrible dreams.

It is necessary to ventilate the children's room. It is good if the child is accustomed to sleep with the window open. Sleep in the open air is strong and sweet. The air temperature in the room should not exceed 20 ° C.

If you put the child to bed, and in the adjoining room the TV is working at full capacity or a noisy showdown continues, there is no need to talk about a restful sleep, and the child will get up in the morning broken and not rested.

The child's bed should be comfortable, with a firm, elastic mattress, a small, cozy pillow that provides a comfortable position for the neck. Put dried mint, valerian roots in a linen bag and place at the head of the child's bed. This "sleeping pill" pillow will help your baby fall asleep faster.

The baby does not need heavy quilted and “hot” duvets. If he sleeps in a flannel or flannel pajamas, then at night he probably throws off his blanket. It is more comfortable for a girl to sleep in a short shirt than in a nightie "to the toes", which prevents her from turning freely at night.

Put a massage mat with rubber spikes near the bed so that, getting up in the morning, the child stomps on it for a few minutes, irritating the active points on the feet and bringing himself to a vigorous state. Then the morning will be truly good and cheerful.

Baby sleep problems: how to teach your baby to sleep during the day

Children's sleep problems include more than falling asleep and overexcited. The topic of daytime sleep deserves a separate discussion. Any mother wants her child to sleep in the afternoon, giving her time for quiet housework or personal affairs. But many children do their best to resist daytime rest, and the mother considers the time spent on putting the child to bed to be thrown into the wind. The child should be taught to sleep during the day smoothly and gradually, paying maximum attention to this issue.

In the first year of life, the baby sleeps several times during the day - from 4 to 10, depending on age. At the age of 1 to 1.5 years, the baby is supposed to sleep 2 times for 1.5-2 hours. And after a year and a half - one daytime sleep lasting from 3 to 1.5 hours. First-graders are legally exempted from daytime sleep, although in some circumstances it is very beneficial to sleep for an hour after dinner (sick, tired, overexcited, etc.).

Children attending kindergarten are more disciplined and, obeying the requirements of the regime, go to bed after dinner. These 1.5-2 hours of daytime sleep protect the baby from overexcitation, help to cope with increased stress, and protect the immune system.

"Home" children have long learned how to defeat mothers and grandmothers in many issues, including about afternoon rest... It is difficult to put them to bed, and sometimes it is impossible to make them fall asleep. All the tales have already been told, all the books have been read, mom's eyes stick together, and the baby does not even think about sleeping. After suffering for a week or two, my mother gives up, and the issue of naps is removed from the agenda. Many children from 2-3 years old do not fit into bed during the day. And yet it’s wrong. Even if the baby could not sleep during the day, he lay in a calm state, his legs rested, the load on the spine decreased, the cardiovascular and respiratory systems functioned without load and accumulated strength for vigorous activity.

Take your time to deprive your child of daytime sleep. The younger the child, the more he needs rest in order for his cognitive activity to proceed more successfully. Indeed, during sleep, the brain does not rest, but switches to another type of activity: from the perception of information to its processing, assimilation and memorization.

Causes of poor sleep: the child does not sleep well at night, cries and screams in his sleep

Sleep duration is an important criterion for good rest, but quality is even more important. It is clear that 5 hours of deep and restful sleep will bring more use the body, rather than a long sleep, but with frequent awakenings. The causes of poor sleep in a child may be related to mental disorders or hyperactivity during the day. If a child does not sleep well at night and cries in his sleep, then this may be a signal to appear to a neurologist. Usually, the child sleeps and cries during sleep during a hypermotor reaction, when he does not have a phase of inhibition during falling asleep in the cerebral cortex.

If you ask any person what sleep disorders he knows, the answer will be the same: insomnia. And he will be very surprised to learn that conditions such as enuresis, sleepwalking (somnambulism), bruxism, nightmares are related to sleep depth regulation disorders.

Signs and causes of sleep disorders in children

Sleep disturbance in children can manifest itself not only in the form of nightmares and difficulty falling asleep.

Bruxism. “My child grinds his teeth at night. He has worms. " With such a statement and a request to conduct an examination for the presence of helminths, many mothers come to the pediatrician's office. Public opinion blames worms for nighttime teeth grinding, which, although they cause significant harm to health, are not to blame for this phenomenon.

The causes of sleep disturbance in children in the form of bruxism, and this is the name of this phenomenon, are unknown, and its mechanism consists in the rhythmic contraction of the masticatory muscles, accompanied by an unpleasant creaking sound.

Almost half of preschoolers and primary school children show signs of sleep disturbance in children in the form of bruxism to one degree or another. For most children, brief (less than 10 seconds) episodes of grinding teeth do not cause any problems and disappear over time. Prolonged, intense bouts of bruxism can damage the teeth and surrounding soft tissue. In the morning, the child may complain of a headache or toothache and soreness in the muscles of the face.

Experts associate the occurrence of bruxism with a stressful state (internal anxiety, tension, anger) and recommend the following measures to combat it:

• before going to bed, invite your child to nibble on a carrot, apple, turnip so that the chewing muscles work properly and rest at night, and do not strive for involuntary contraction;
• apply a hot compress to your face (by lower jaw ear to ear) before bed to relax muscles;
• develop a certain ritual of going to bed, excluding outdoor games, watching "horror films" on TV and the battle with a computer monster;
• offer to take a walk in the fresh air and then soak in a warm bath.
• avoid high carbohydrate foods and drinks containing caffeine at dinner;
• take a closer look at the child's behavior: is there any problem bothering him? Talk to him heart to heart, help get rid of annoying thoughts. Your involvement and a friendly tone will help relieve tension and muscle spasm.

If your child is grinding teeth constantly and heavily, see a dentist. He may need a bite correction device or special splints to protect his teeth from damage.

Other sleep disorders in early preschool children

Enuresis. About 5% of children over 4 years old, including younger students, suffer from involuntary urination during sleep. This is a sleep disorder in children. preschool age - not only a medical, but a socio-hygienic problem that makes it difficult for a child to communicate with peers in a kindergarten, in a health camp, in a sanatorium, in a hospital, in any other place where he has to spend at least one night. This urinary disorder is twice as common in boys.

Among the causes of enuresis are organic diseases of the brain and spinal cord, mental illness and disorders of the urinary system.

Per last years the increase in children suffering from enuresis is directly related to the uncontrolled use of disposable diapers, the constant wearing of which interferes with the formation of the correct reflex to urinate.

The older the child becomes, the more acutely he suffers from his ailment, the more sophisticated he is subjected to bullying by his peers who found out about his trouble after the first night spent in a public institution. The feeling of inferiority, inferiority will increase every day, and against this background, a severe mental disorder may develop. Do not expect favors from nature in the hope that "everything will pass by itself", contact a urologist, your child needs urgent qualified help.

You may need to become a patient of a neurologist who will teach the child to independently control fullness bladder and its emptying, as well as interrupt and resume urination. For this, there are special exercises that ultimately lead to the elimination of enuresis.

There are medicationsthat help fight the disease. But they can only be recommended by a doctor who knows the cause of the phenomenon.

Currently, in each children's clinic there is a new methodology in the diagnosis and treatment of primary nocturnal enuresis, developed by doctors and recognized by the World Health Organization. A special algorithm helps the pediatrician to prescribe the necessary examination and select the necessary therapy for the treatment of primary enuresis. This method allows you to distinguish between primary and secondary enuresis, which is a consequence of serious diseases and therefore needs to be treated by the right specialists.

. There are a lot of fantastic stories about this phenomenon, also called somnambulism, or sleepwalking, telling about walking on a rooftop, about murders in a state of sleep, about cases of amnesia, etc. Such stories are successfully exploited by the directors of the Latin American "soap" when creating the next " masterpiece ".

In fact, there are not so many lunatics in our world, and their travels around the apartment do not end so tragically.

These sleep disorders in young children are manifested as follows: 1-1.5 hours after falling asleep, the child sits in bed, gets up, dresses, walks around the apartment. He can sit down at the table and continue drawing or playing the game he was doing before bed. His eyes are open, but his gaze is absent, and he does not respond to a call by name or answers in monosyllables, not always clearly. After some time (20-30 minutes) he goes back to bed and sleeps until morning. Waking up, he does not remember his adventures or remembers them as if they were in a dream. Usually children from 5 to 8 years old with signs of increased nervous excitability are prone to such adventures.

In some children, this sleep disorder occurs as a separate episode. As a rule, mom can name the reason that led to sleepwalking and associated with overexcitement due to a violation of the usual daily routine: was at a party, attended an evening theater or circus performance, watched a "horror" on TV, quarreled with mom, etc. if the cause is known, then it is clear how to treat the effect. Avoid overexcitation in the evening, drink warm milk with honey before bedtime, light sedatives: infusion of valerian, motherwort, novopassit, homeopathic remediesdesigned to improve sleep in children.

In other children, sleepwalking at night is repeated several times a month. And this requires an immediate consultation with a neuropathologist and a serious analysis of the intra-family situation and the attitude of adults towards the child. Psychologists say that the little sleepwalker is most likely deprived of attention and love in his family and needs not so much pills and potions as his mother's hugs, affection and a calm home environment.

Create comfortable conditions for him, excluding excitement and excitement in the evening hours. Before going to bed, walking in the fresh air, reading good books and listening to calm music are recommended. Dinner should be 2.5-3 hours before bedtime, and it should consist of easily digestible low-fat meals without exciting spices (mustard, vinegar, ketchup) and drinks (coffee, cocoa).

TV and computer - in "moderate dosage" and if possible in the first half of the day.

Avoid situations that are traumatic for the child's psyche. No violence against the personality of the child! If he doesn't want to eat, don't force him. He cannot tear himself away from the game when it’s time to go to bed, do not “pull” him out of the game situation in an orderly manner: “Quickly! Immediately! I told who! " Thus, you create the prerequisites for returning to the game in a somnambulistic state. Give your child time to calmly finish important tasks and get ready for bed.

What if in the middle of the night a child wanders around the apartment without waking up? Do not try to stir up and wake him up, so as not to scare the child. You can invite him to bed in a quiet calm voice. If the request does not reach his consciousness, just wait 10-15 minutes and he will go to bed on his own. But create safe conditions for his travels: keep windows and doors closed, put stabbing and cutting devices in an inaccessible place, securely hide lighters and matches. The sleepwalker perfectly coordinates movements and moves freely in space, but he does not know the feeling of fear, therefore, it is not a problem for him to go out an open window or leave the house barefoot and in pajamas.

Teach your baby to sleep on the right side. Avicenna also warned against sleeping on the back as conducive to nightmares and somnambulism.

If sleepwalking recurs from time to time, give your child a mild sedative before bed.

Yakation. Some children, before falling asleep or during sleep, make rhythmic movements of their heads on the pillow from side to side, or, standing on all fours, swing their torso back and forth. This phenomenon is called yakation, manifests itself after the age of six months and is observed most often in children with increased nervous excitability or neurosis. Sometimes, when falling asleep, the child even hums, showing that the process gives him pleasure. The duration and amplitude of the wobble can be quite significant, but the sleeping baby continues to sleep. Psychologists view this phenomenon as a forced replacement for the missing rhythmic movements necessary for the normal maturation process. As a rule, yakation disappears spontaneously after 3-4 years.

Snegopovienis. Many children talk in their sleep: they utter single words or whole "speeches", sometimes cry or laugh without waking up. Verbal arousal is often combined with motor arousal: the child tosses and turns in bed, makes sharp movements with his legs, sometimes even falls out of bed. The reason is always the same - overexcitement: I received many new and varied impressions, was in an unusual environment, communicated with a large number of people, quarreled with a friend or family members, etc., etc.

Night terrors and nightmares. The emotional sphere of the child is characterized by insufficient maturity of feelings, uncertainty of bodily sensations, the impossibility of a critical assessment of impressions, therefore, for childhood characterized by the emergence of transient reactions of protest, despair, irritability, whims, that is, the manifestation of emotional disorders, one of which is night fear.

In the middle of the night, more often 1-2 hours after falling asleep, the child wakes up in a state of acute excitement, accompanied by screaming, crying, expressions of horror on the face and autonomic disorders: reddening or pale skin, sweating, heart palpitations. Small child can "roll up" to short stop breathing. Night fears most often appear in babies aged 2 to 4 years, occur in the deep sleep stage. These episodes are short-lived, lasting no more than 10 minutes. Contact with the child at this moment is difficult, since he is not aware of his surroundings.

No matter how confused you are by what happened, there is no cause for concern. Night fears in children indicate not at all serious mental disorders, but about violent emotional experiences. Try to put him to bed, pronouncing gentle words, stroking his head, and he will fall asleep again, and in the morning he will not remember the night incident. And do not remind him of this, so as not to fix your attention on unpleasant events. With age, nighttime fears appear less and less, and adolescents already completely get rid of them.

Night terrors are significantly different from nightmares, which can be equated with nightmares. After all, nightmares occur during that stage of sleep, which is characterized by the presence of dreams. The child wakes up screaming and crying, jumps out of bed, runs somewhere. The content of the dream is incomprehensible to the child, so he is able to tell about it in monosyllables: "scary," "I'm afraid," the child is a "terrible uncle", "terrible vampires" and other characters suggested by the immoderate fantasy of a loving mother or grandmother.

If the child is prone to nightmares, do not scold him and do not seek to revive the Spartan traditions in education. This is often the sin of courageous dads, who begin to shame the baby for "dissolute nurses", compare with a "cowardly girl", forbid the mother to caress him and take him "under the wing" into her bed. Forcing a baby to overcome fear in loneliness and darkness is not the best educational method, which threatens to translate a single episode into repeated and obsessive fears and the appearance of a speech disorder in the form of stuttering.

The child is unable to distinguish nightmare from a real life situation, and waking up in the middle of the night, he cannot remember the content of the dream, but the feeling of horror he just experienced does not leave him for a long time. Therefore, it is necessary to calm the baby, caress, hug, ward off nightmares, create a comfortable environment and make it clear that he is under your reliable protection.

If the child is afraid to sleep in his room, leave the door open, turn on the night light with soft diffused light, remove from the nursery objects that, in twilight or darkness, resemble monsters to the baby in their outlines. By the way, it is the huge stuffed animal toys that inhabit the nursery and take on ominous outlines in the dark that evoke terrible emotions in a child who wakes up in the middle of the night.

The main conditions for normal sleep in a child are a calm, friendly environment within the family and adherence to the regime.

Healthy baby sleep.

Healthy baby sleep is very important. He is like food, water and air. Healthy sleep of a child is a source that gives energy, strength, rest. With the help of sleep, all information received by the baby for the day is processed. Healthy sleep is the key to well-being, health and comfort.

The organization of sleep in children must be approached responsibly and deliberately. From childhood, you need to accustom your children to the daily routine, time management, proper sleep... Sleep is very closely related to other components of life: hygiene, clothing, food, walks in the fresh air and others. And who if not parents can control and accustom their child to healthy sleep.

REGULATIONS FOR HEALTHY SLEEP IN A CHILD

Pediatric pediatricians offer separate norms of healthy sleep for each age period in a child. This should be approached with caution, and based only on the individual characteristics of your child.

• 1 - 4 months - about 18 hours.
• 5 - 9 months - about 16 hours.
• 10 - 12 months - about 13 hours.
• 1 - 3 years - about 11 hours.
• 3 - 7 years - about 10 hours.
• After 7 years - 9 hours.

This is the average sleep rate per day. As you can see, the need for sleep depends on the age of the baby. The smaller he is, the more sleep he needs, the older - the less. But how much your child will sleep - only you choose, starting from his activity, wakefulness, energy, fatigue and individual physiological needs.

SLEEP IN A CHILD

Sleep is often disturbed, especially in young children. There are various reasons for this.

1. Physiological features of the baby.
2. Influence of the environment.
3. Somatic illness: ARVI, influenza, etc.
4. Neurological pathology.
5. Emotionality and activity of the child. During the day, a child may experience an overabundance of emotions. Here it is important to pay attention to the games and fun that the baby plays. Pay attention to what cartoons and books you are watching. It will not be superfluous to revise the child's day regimen.
6. The change of night and day. The process of dividing sleep into daytime and nighttime is formed only at the age of 4 months. Therefore, before this age, it is difficult for a baby to get used to falling asleep and waking up at the right time. He can stay awake at night, and sleep sweetly during the day.

Unhealthy sleep in a child affects his health, behavior, quality of life. If a child does not sleep well, then this means that he is not resting, not relaxing. Doctors say that sleep disorders lead to a delay in the growth and development of the child.

Also bad dream the baby affects not only him, but also his parents. Parents have observed: no rash, fatigue, irritation, confusion.

To avoid this, you need to be guided by the basic rules for organizing healthy sleep in a child.

Healthy sleep rules for a child

In order for the sleep to be healthy and useful for the child, you need to adhere to the basic rules

• Fresh air and ventilated area.

The air in the child's room should not be humid or stuffy. Children's leading pediatricians advise setting the temperature in the room to +18 degrees. At this temperature, it is very easy to breathe, sleep is restful, and in the morning the baby will feel good. As the long-term practice of specialists shows, the baby does not open up at this temperature. If you are worried that the child will freeze, then use warm and soft pajamas.

Try to pay attention to air humidity. If it is not possible to purchase a special humidifier, then place a couple of containers of water near the crib or near the battery.

• Comfortable bed.

The bed is the basis of healthy sleep for a child. It is better to purchase a bed with an orthopedic mattress. Its advantages: strength, rigidity, maintaining the position of the child. Up to 3 years old, it is better to use a towel or a very thin pillow instead of a standard pillow. The child's blanket should be light, natural, without impregnation and dyes. If there are ruffles, canopies on bed linen or cribs, then, oddly enough, these are real dust collectors. And the dust blocks the flow of fresh air.

• Lighting.

Children's room should be well lit. Since the child is here and played and engaged. But many children do not like to fall asleep in pitch darkness, so experts advise installing lamps around the perimeter of the room. The lights will create a soft light to help your baby fall asleep easily. Pay attention to the curtains in the children's room. When a child prepares for bed in the afternoon, they can be used to create twilight. Do not forget about the cleanliness of the curtains, they should not accumulate a lot of dust, wash periodically.

• Ritual before bed.

Do the same thing every time before bed. Doing the same thing every time will be like a ritual for the baby. He will know that first you need to swim, then read a book and fall asleep. Instead of a book, you can use a lullaby or turn on slow instrumental music. After the child falls asleep, the music must be turned off. Maintain silence in the house: do not talk loudly, do not turn on loud music. Take care of the baby's sleep.

• Active day.

Spend more time outdoors, play active games. You need to spend the day in a fun, positive way. Try to avoid hysterics and crying. Set your baby in a good mood.

You need to go to bed at the same time. Before going to bed, it is advisable not to play active games, not to run or jump.

It is advisable that the child sleeps only in his crib, and not with his parents. You can choose one of your favorite toys and let your baby fall asleep with it. This will replace his mother. And also this toy will be associated with sleep.

Be sure to kiss your baby before going to bed, say good night.

If you follow these rules systematically, the baby's sleep will stabilize. The kid will get used to the regime and will fall asleep easily. Sleep will have a beneficial effect on the health of the baby, on his mood and behavior.

The main thing is to be there and support!

No one will deny the importance of a good, sound and healthy sleep for children. During the night's rest, the body's energy reserves are restored, all internal structures are renewed. A child who begins to sleep less than his peers gradually slows down in his development. This is explained by the fact that during a night's rest, growth hormone is intensively produced, while memory improves, the baby subsequently better perceives and remembers new information for himself. In this regard, many parents are concerned about the question of what, according to medical indications, the duration of sleep in children should be, what to do if a child often wakes up in the middle of the night, and how to organize a healthy night's rest.

We have already described, and now I would like to talk about how to properly lay children.

To make your baby sleep easily and fully rest at night, the following recommendations should be followed:

• Observe the regime. The child will get enough sleep if he starts to go to bed at the same hours every day. This will allow the body's biological clock to adjust to the regime. The main thing is that the parents themselves do not deviate from this established rule.

• Proper preparation for bed. In order for the baby to fall asleep instantly and not toss and turn in bed for a long time, 2 hours before going to bed, you need to provide him with complete relaxation. No loud shouts and complex games, active sports should be excluded, not allowed to watch TV late in the evening, and even more so, he should not be allowed to sit at the computer before going to bed. All this has an exciting effect on the nervous system and interferes with restful sleep.

• Eliminate "heavy" food from dinner. The last meal should be taken several (2-3) hours before bedtime, with the only exceptions being infants. If, before going to bed, the baby wants to eat, he can be offered to drink a glass of kefir with several cookies. But there shouldn't be any heavy food. A full stomach will prevent you from falling asleep. Also, scientists have found that heavy food eaten at night can provoke nightmares.

• Airing the room. Before going to bed, it is imperative to ventilate the room, especially when the heating is turned on in the apartments, due to which the amount of oxygen in the room decreases. In a well-ventilated and slightly cool room, the child will be able to quickly and soundly fall asleep.

• Sometimes the baby cannot fall asleep for a long time because of the fear of the dark. In this case, it is better to leave the night light on all night. Little children are prone to fears that prevent them from sleeping peacefully.

How long should healthy sleep last?

Speaking about the number of hours of healthy sleep, it is necessary to take into account the individual characteristics of each child. However, there are medical guidelines for the length of the night's rest that should be followed. Namely:

• from birth to 3 months, the norm is 19-22 hours;

• at 3-4 months, the baby should sleep up to 18 hours;

• from 7 months to a year, the duration of sleep should be on average 15 hours;

• from a year to a year and a half, a child's nighttime healthy sleep should last 11 hours, and a daytime 3 hours;

• at the age of one and a half to 2 years, the number of hours of night sleep remains, but daytime sleep is reduced by 1 hour;

• kids from 2-4 years old should rest 9-11 hours at night, and 2 hours during the day;

• for children from 5 to 8 years old, the duration of the night's rest should be 9 hours, while it is recommended to sleep for at least an hour and a half during the day.

If the baby remains vigorous and cheerful, is in a good mood, often does not get sick and develops like his peers, while sleeping less than the recommended time, then he has such a physiological feature of the body, and he actually gets enough sleep. But when a child becomes capricious and lethargic during the day, gets tired quickly, his appetite changes, and the parents have created everything favorable conditions for a good sleep, then this is a reason to seek help from a doctor.

The consequences of a child's lack of sleep

If a child constantly lacks sleep or sleeps poorly, often wakes up, then all this leads to negative consequences:

1. the growth process slows down;
2. he begins to lag behind in physical development;
3. his behavior changes, he becomes fussy and unbalanced;
4. memory deteriorates;
5. confusion of speech occurs;
6. efficiency decreases;
7. the state of the nervous system worsens;
8. he does not absorb information well.

Another significant factor that develops as a result of sleep deficit is a decrease in the baby's ability to adapt to emerging stressful situations.

All these consequences are reversible in the event that parents identify a problem with poor or insufficient sleep in time and do everything so that the child adheres to the regimen and rest for the recommended number of hours. If mothers and fathers do not pay any attention to such a situation, and the baby systematically experiences a lack of sleep, then such children have an increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases in the future.

What else parents should know

Some parents practice going to bed with their child under the sound of TV or during loud conversations and discussions. Moms and dads believe that in this case, the baby will then be able to fall asleep in any conditions and will never have problems with sleep.

This is not only a delusion, but also a gross mistake. When a child begins to sleep with outside sounds, he is not able to plunge into deep sleep. And this, as the studies have shown, does not give nervous system the opportunity to fully relax.

If shallow sleep becomes a system, then negative changes occur with the behavior and well-being of the baby. He becomes very irritable and restless, often cries, refuses to eat and loses weight. Then lethargy, apathy and lethargy in reactions may appear.

Nuances to help improve healthy baby sleep

Humidity in the room

Airing helps prepare the room for sleep, but at night, when the child is already asleep, the air can become dry again. From this usually leads to the fact that the baby begins to toss and turn and wake up in the middle of the night. To prevent this from happening, you should take care of humidifying the air in the room. To do this, you can buy a special humidifier or put a container of water near the battery.

Bed and healthy sleep of the child

The place where the baby sleeps also matters. Experts advise buying a bed only with an orthopedic mattress. Its advantages are sufficient rigidity, strength and the ability to support the child's body in the desired position. If we are talking about the smallest children who have not yet turned 2 years old, then it is better to put a very thin pillow under their heads. As for the blanket, it should not be heavy and made of natural fabric. If these conditions are met, then the baby will sleep soundly and fully rest throughout the night.

Sleeping place

Often parents, especially if they have a girl, try to beautifully decorate the sleeping place with a canopy, tulle and taffeta. But such design attributes should be discarded. All sorts of ruffles are dust collectors, which prevents the supply of oxygen in sufficient volume to the child during sleep.

Lighting

During the day, it is difficult for a baby to fall asleep, as bright daylight interferes with him. Blackout curtains can cope with this problem. Some children find it difficult to fall asleep in pitch darkness, and in this case, lamps with soft, dim light can be hung around the perimeter of the room.

Developed habit

It's good if the child performs the same actions before going to bed. This could be brushing your teeth and reading a book, followed by sleep. And in the following days, the baby, while brushing his teeth and reading a fairy tale, will tune in to a quick immersion in sleep.

Saturation of the day

To help your child quickly fall asleep, you need to try to make his day active and eventful. An ideal option would be an evening walk in the forest park, so that the baby can get plenty of fresh air. During the day you can play active games, but in the evening it is better to choose something measured. Before going to bed, you should not let your child run and jump. Then it will be difficult for him to fall asleep.

Healthy child sleep: summing up

Long and healthy sleep plays an important role in the development and formation of a child. During a night's rest, the body and all its internal systems fully rest. The kid is gaining strength, his memory improves, and he grows. As soon as the child begins to sleep poorly and looks lethargic during the day, parents should pay attention to this and react quickly. They must provide their child correct modethat will help you go to bed at the same time. They should also look at the sleeping area and the crib where the child sleeps. Perhaps he is simply uncomfortable.

If parents cannot cope with such a problem on their own, they need to contact a specialist. Without attaching any importance to all this, in the future it will be possible to face serious consequences. The kid will begin to lag behind in development, become forgetful and irritable, and his body will react sharply to stress. Therefore, while he is growing, a sound and healthy sleep of the child should be a priority.

Every mom wants to know if her baby is sleeping enough. Sleep-savvy moms not only want to know if their babies are getting enough hours of sleep, they want to be sure that babies have healthy sleep patterns that allow them to recover physically and emotionally, and to thrive and grow properly.

Mark Weisbluth identifies 5 elements of healthy sleep, which have the maximum recovery effect for the child. Read to the end and compare the baby's sleep with these points - now you know how full your baby's sleep is.

Total sleep duration (day + night)

Up to 3-4 months, the baby's sleep speaks about the development of his brain and most often the child sleeps as much as he needs, because biological factors affect his sleep. At the same time, the baby can sleep in almost any conditions, even with noise and light, which means that the child can be constantly with you and, wherever you are, if he needs sleep, he will fall asleep. Evening bedding at this age can be in different time, which is often caused by colic, which manifests itself especially strongly in the period from 18 to 24 hours. Babies sleep on average 16-17 hours a day, often confusing day and night.

After 4 months, the parents form the child's sleep and wakefulness regime and can influence its duration. One of the most important goals for mom and dad should be the healthy sleep that the growing baby needs.

Of course, periodically skipping, for example, daytime sleep or later lying down, may not harm the child, but if this has become a habit, then the baby can become more and more capricious and uncontrollable in his overwork.

Studies have shown that cultural and ethnic differences, social variables, even various modern inventions, including televisions, computers, and others, do not affect sleep norms. Sleep rates are characteristic for each child's age and are biologically fixed.

Daytime sleep

Daytime sleep differs significantly from nighttime sleep and has rhythms independent of it. At the same time, daytime sleep leads to optimal daytime activity for learning, does not allow the child to overwork, which means that the baby will sleep better at night.

The main function of daytime sleep is to provide children with maximum REM sleep, that is, to restore them emotionally and psychologically, while night sleep to a greater extent restores physical strength.

The right time of the day during which the baby sleeps is very important. After a healthy daytime sleep, the child wakes up rested and the level of cortisol in his blood drops. Sleep that is too short or not synchronized with the biological rhythms of the baby will not give adequate rest, but, nevertheless, at least a short nap is better than its complete absence. After 4 months, daytime sleep, which lasts less than one hour, cannot be "real", and most often does not bring any benefit to the baby.

Children can and should be taught correct daytime sleep... If a child does not sleep well during the day, then he has a lower concentration of attention, they are less persistent in completing tasks, they hardly adapt to new things, and are prone to hyperactivity.

If your little one does not sleep well during the day and you ignore early bedding, then he is suffering.

Sleep continuity

Consolidated or uninterrupted sleep is one of the important conditions for healthy sleep, that is, 11 hours of continuous sleep is not at all equal to 11 hours of sleep if the baby woke up. Fragmentation of sleep reduces its overall duration and reduces the effectiveness of restoring the physical and emotional strength of children.

In the first months of life in children, protective awakenings are triggered, which prevent asphyxia in sleep, but if such awakenings continue, then they harm the child, since they violate the integrity, continuity of sleep.

Sometimes the parents themselves make the baby's sleep unconsolidated, if the baby constantly sleeps in the stroller when moving, or when rocking in his arms, sleeping in a moving car. Such a dream is not deep, short and is not able to restore the baby's body. The best sleep is to sleep in one place, and still.

A certain number of awakenings may be normal if the child can then fall asleep on his own, and also if the baby sleeps next to his mother and breastfeeds repeatedly, in this case, both the mother and the child do not wake up completely and do not suffer from fragmentation.

The main problem in awakening children is the inability of the child to fall asleep on their own after waking up.

How to help your child sleep through the night: https://bit.ly/1lMDs4X

Sleeping mode

When we eat fast food, it satiates, but does not add health. The same can be said about sleep. Poor quality sleep gives us a tired and overworked child as a result, because sleep is like food for his brain. Sleep and wakefulness should be maximally synchronized with the baby's biological rhythms.

Up to six weeks, babies sleep a lot and often, mothers are happy and happy, but now time passes and the baby is no longer so easy to put. And here, no doubt, the regime will help us. To train a four to eight month old baby to sleep well and biologically, parents must control bedtime themselves, rather than relying on a tired baby to go to sleep on their own. Speaking about the mode, it is worth specifying the time:

8: 30-9: 00 - the time of the first sleep for babies up to 6 months;

12: 30-13: 00 - lunchtime sleep (this time is perfect for all children who are still sleeping during the day);

18:00-20:00 - best time to go to sleep at night.

When organizing a child's sleep schedule, many parents make the mistake of putting their baby to bed always at the same time. However, for a child, the best option is if you are flexible. If he slept badly during the day or played too actively and was tired, then shift the time of night sleep earlier. At every age, babies have their own permissible wakefulness time, knowing this moment greatly facilitates the process of laying down.

Rituals play an important role in observing the regime, because it is from them that the baby understands what awaits him now. So remember to repeat the same steps every night before your baby goes to bed. For example: quiet and relaxing games, bathing, massage, a bottle, a book in bed, and finally, sleep.