Rituals help

What makes for good sleep in children?

Children can develop better if they get enough sleep.(Bild: Konstantin Yuganov/stock.adobe.com)

Restful sleep in children is important for their development and ability to learn! The form of sleep changes with age. In babies, a distinction is only made between REM and non-REM sleep. Other stages of sleep or deep sleep only come later. 

"The even distribution of sleep is particularly important for learning and development. Sleep changes until puberty, when there are sometimes shifts that can be challenging," explains Dr. Regina Rath-Wacenovsky, specialist in paediatrics and adolescent medicine, specializing in sleep medicine, from Vienna. "The deviating daily rhythms that then occur, such as going to bed late, are not primarily due to media consumption, but are intensified by it."

Routine as a sleep aid
The key factor for restful sleep is the environment. Routines are necessary and also allow us to influence our sleep. The environment with familiar smells and sounds, but also sleep rituals such as bedtime stories, play a special role here. It is also important to recognize the sleep pressure that builds up in each of us and to give children the opportunity to give in to this pressure. A crucial factor is that these rituals, such as bedtime stories, are connected to a person and not played by a digital medium!

Hormone controls the day-night rhythm
"We can therefore shape our children's slumber through a healthy environment or rhythm, and internal melatonin, a sleep-promoting hormone, is an important tool for this," emphasizes Dr. Rath-Wacenovsky. "It plays an essential role in controlling the sleep-wake rhythm and is available in numerous forms as a dietary supplement for sleep problems. However, its use in pediatrics is not entirely harmless and should definitely be in the hands of a doctor!