Best Self Family Post
Helping Your Child Fall Asleep
10/14/20
Does your child have trouble falling asleep? Check out my quick tips for making this process easier and calmer. It helps to consider your child’s bedroom, routines and especially their mindset. These small adjustments can make a big impact!
Change the Environment: Prioritize a peaceful environment for sleep in your child’s bedroom. If there is a clock that is being watched (a very common factor in sleep disturbance), take steps to prevent hyperfocusing on the time. Try moving it out of sight or switching to a color coded clock, so your child is only alerted when it’s time to wake up. You may also consider ways to upgrade the room’s ambience, such as hanging up peaceful images and displaying favorite items. Keep the room clean, find and maintain the ideal temperature and make sure lighting is soothing.
Move Around: Make sure your child is getting enough physical activity throughout the day, especially if they are spending more time on screens these days with e-learning. For younger children, try initiating a dance party or making an obstacle course in your home. For teenagers, you can encourage them to find exercise videos online that they can enjoy at home.
Relax the Mind: Choose the right background noise, so that while your child is trying to fall asleep they have something soothing to focus their mind on (and away from potentially unhelpful topics their minds can wander onto). This might include listening to a podcast, music, book on tape or guided meditations. Bluetooth speakers can provide audio – without the access to screens. Also try to minimize screen time at night in general and encourage other activities, such as reading, before bed.
Think Positive: Identify any negative self-talk that may be stuck in your child’s mind in the evenings. Even negative thoughts surrounding sleep and how difficult it is, can increase the likelihood of the problem worsening. Try encouraging positive self talk like “I am okay”, “I got this” or “I will figure this out” and approach sleep with confidence. Utilize visuals by writing down positive affirmations on post-it notes that they can easily see in their room. Remind your child that they have the power to focus their own mind onto something relaxing and positive, such as a favorite image, book character or a happy memory.
Write it Out: Encourage your child to try journaling before bed, and spend a few minutes writing about what’s on their mind. They can make 2 columns – on one side it might be “what’s on my mind” and on the other side “what I can do”. Then, when their mind wanders into stressful territory, they can remind themselves of their solutions and try to let go for the time being. It’s also very helpful to journal and reflect right before bed, about something good that happened that day or something exciting coming up tomorrow. A positive lead into a good night’s sleep!