5 Tips to Promote Improved Sleep Patterns and Quality for Children and Adults

Do you or anyone in your family struggle to fall asleep, stay asleep, or want to improve the quality of sleep?

These five minor tweaks to our daily schedule and nighttime routine can help regulate the body’s natural sleep cycle. We’ve all heard the standard advice, wake up and go to bed around the same time every day or to avoid excess caffeine, especially after lunch time. But here are a few tips that you may not have heard before that are relatively simple to implement. Try these suggestions to help sync your circadian rhythm with your sleep schedule and improve your quality of sleep. 

Increase exposure to sunlight in the morning and evening hours

Getting outside in natural light within 30-minutes of waking up helps set our internal clocks for the day. If getting outside isn’t feasible, consider investing in an indoor sun lamp and keep it in the spaces where you spend your morning. Spending time outside in the afternoon/evening hours as the sun is starting to set, helps our bodies begin to prepare for sleep even if bedtime is still hours away.

Sleep without pets or excess stuffed animals in the bed

Even though we love our furry friends, their temperature and movements can disrupt our sleep. Encourage children to sleep with 1-2 special stuffed animals and keep the bed clear of any extra toys or unused blankets to promote a more restful sleep. 

Avoid screen time 90-minutes before bedtime 

Screens give off blue light that stimulates the brain and tricks the body into thinking that the sun is still out.

Avoiding screens for 90-minutes before bedtime gives the body a chance to adjust and begin winding down. If screens are a big part of your relaxation before bed, consider dimming the screen or using nighttime screen features.

Mitigate the environment to maintain a comfortable temperature throughout the night

Keeping an even temperature throughout the night helps us have more restful sleep. Consider sleeping in clothing that you know will keep you at a comfortable temperature and also allow children to choose comfortable clothing for how they like to feel when they sleep. You can also keep layers or a cooler shirt near the bed to change into if your temperature increases or decreases as you sleep. If a child kicks off their blanket while sleeping, that is their way of regulating their temperature; let them self-regulate and pull the blanket up on their own if they become cold.

Keep a cup of water (or water bottle) next to the bed

The act of drinking water, especially through a straw, provides soothing sensory input to the mouth to help it remain regulated.

Having water to sip at the bedside can help soothe both adults and children throughout the night.