Primary Times BirminghamPRIMARY TIMES EXCLUSIVESweet DreamsPrimary Times explores the importance of a good night’s sleepfor children and how parents can make bedtime less of a battleEvery living creature needs to sleep. Itis the primary activity of the brain duringearly development. The sleep-wake cycle,scientifically known as the circadianrhythms, are regulated by light and darkand these patterns take humans time todevelop, resulting in the initial irregularsleep cycles of newborn babies.The morestructured sleep cycles begin to developat about six weeks, and by three to sixmonths most infants have a regularsleep-wake cycle.By the age of two, most children havespent more of their lives asleep thanawake and overall, a child will spend 40percent of his or her childhood asleep.But the real question is, why is sleep soimportant for my child?Sleep is especially important for childrenas it directly impacts mental and physicaldevelopment. Well-rested children tend tobe more able to reach their full potentialin all aspects of their lives, whether thatbe in their everyday lessons at school,their physical health, or their moods.As a result, a lack of sleep can leavechildren (and adults!) feeling groggy,irritable and distracted.There are however a number of factorswhich can hinder your children’s sleep, oneof the most common of these being nightterrors and sleepwalking. There is a naturalrhythm to our sleep and we actually gothrough a cycle of deep sleep, followed bya light sleep every 2-4 hours. Although yourchild may fall asleep quickly when they goto bed, some children may have difficultypassing smoothly from one phase of sleepinto another and instead remain in a statein which they are only half-awake. In thisstate, you may see your child wanderingthe house or coming into your bedroom asa result of a nightmare, therefore causingtheir sleep patterns to be broken.Another common problem for a number ofparents is bed times, when a child simplydoes not want to sleep alone in their ownroom. Problems surrounding bedtimecan range from children being scaredof being alone, being afraid of the dark,or simply becoming ‘overtired’, irritableand overactive. To combat this, there arenumerous ways in which parents canmake bedtimes easier.Top Tips!For makingbedtimeeasier...Routineis KeyIf your child tends to be reluctant to go to bed,getting them into a more set bedtime routineevery night is likely to help. This could startwith some quiet time to help your child to winddown - for example, a bath followed by a shortbedtime story before you say goodnight.Scrap theScreensTelevision, computer or phone screenscan keep your children awake or leavethem feeling groggy the next morning. Ourdevices give out bright lights and keep ourmind distracted, so shutting the screensdown an hour before bed may help childrento better fall, and stay, sound asleep.Keep aSleep DiaryIf your child’s sleep is consistently poor, a sleepdiary can be a great way to find out what triggerspoor sleep behaviours and what seems to help.As many children will show variable patterns intheir sleep, it is helpful to keep your diary over atwo-week period to paint a fuller picture.Create aBlissfulBedroomIt helps to make yourchild’s bedroom a safe,calm and pleasant placeto be in. Your child mayfind that certain ‘props’may help them to fallasleep, such as nightlights or quiet music. Onthe other hand, if yourchild is sensitive to sound,avoiding any loud noisesfrom outside the roommay help too.22WINTER 2019 | www.primarytimes.co.uk/birmingham
Primary Times BirminghamLOOPY LIBRARYWhat do you callSanta Claus on abeach?Sandy Claus!What do elveseat for breakfast?Snow flakesWhat do you getif you cross Santawith a duck?Christmas quackers!What do you call a slow skiinstructor?A SNOW COACHWho deliverspresents to babysharks at Christmas?Santa Jaws!Send Jokes to:Primary TimesBirminghamSchools Publishing Ltd1 Accent Park,Bakewell Road,Peterborough,Cambridgeshire,PE2 6XSwww.primarytimes.co.uk/birmingham | WINTER 2019 23
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