Tired, irritable or angry, your child may be sleep deprived.
Just like adults, over the past few decades, children’s sleep duration has reportedly decreased by 30 to 60 minutes a day. Even at this age the consequences are not insignificant and can induce mood, attention or memory disorders.
Children with a lack of regularity
With screens in the evening or parents working longer hours, for many children, bedtime is delayed while wake-up time remains the same or advances. A late bedtime is however not without consequences because it can induce difficulty falling asleep and nocturnal awakenings, thus altering the quality of sleep.
To be able to adjust his biological time, the child needs a stable routine for his mealtimes and bedtimes. It must also be exposed to light during the day but avoid artificial light in the evening which can shift its rhythm.
How to spot sleep problems?
If the average time is 30 minutes to fall asleep, it can be much longer if the child does not go to bed at the right time: too early his body is not yet ready for sleep, and too late it may be too restless. The bedtime schedule should respect the child’s natural rhythm and signs of drowsiness as much as possible.
Before the age of 3, it is normal for your child to wake up on average three times a night and go back to sleep right away. If, on the other hand, he has been accustomed to falling asleep in the presence of a parent, he may then start crying and get up each time he wakes up. For this it is important to teach him to fall asleep on his own to maintain a better quality of sleep. After 3 years, it takes about 4 hours between the end of the nap and going to bed in the evening so as not to interfere with falling asleep.
If you are worried about your child’s sleep, do not hesitate to talk about it with his doctor, his pediatrician or possibly a child psychiatrist.
Find out more: “Your child’s sleep” by Anne Bacus, Mara editions
