Educating children on the importance of healthy sleep is an essential skill that can leave a life-long impression on the wellbeing of children.
Parents who prioritize healthy sleeping habits in the household allow their children to learn the benefits of creating a routine and help to condition their growing bodies and developing minds to sleep better and wake up refreshed.
Not only do parents need to teach their children the benefits of better sleep, but they also need to ensure kids have the best mattress to sleep on, and a supportive pillow that won’t strain their neck and leave them in pain.
Like adults, children are very active. During sleep is when their bodies can recover from a rigorous day of sports and activities. Therefore, it helps to ensure they are sleeping on a memory foam mattress that will allow for better rest in every season.
Sleep hygiene is the term used to link all the elements that create the best possible system for sleep. This includes the bed and bedroom accessories, what we eat before bed, what we do before bed, the time we sleep and wake up, and even what we wear.
Other essentials to teach children better sleep hygiene include setting up an effective bedtime routine, and minimizing naps so their body can fall asleep faster when it is bedtime.
The Best Mattress For Children
Just like adults, children need to sleep on a comfortable and supportive mattress. An excellent option for growing children is a memory foam mattress. These beds have some great features that not only help children fall asleep faster, but they tend to last longer, and keeping them clean is a breeze.
The most comfortable mattresses on the market can be purchased online from the comfort of your own home. They are an excellent option for children as most come with a removable cover that can be washed at home. Cleaning inevitable spills and nighttime accidents will no longer be an issue.
Memory foam is a material that has a unique ability to contour to muscles and joints in the body. This takes the pressure off during recovery from sports and play, allowing your child to wake up feeling refreshed. These features make it the best mattress available.
Memory foam is also found in cooling mattresses. Sleeping on a cooling mattress has profound benefits such as regulating body temperature for a deep and comfy sleep experience your children will love.
The importance of a great mattress goes beyond comfort. Children should be sleeping for 9 to 10 hours each night, and they must be able to complete their sleep cycles. Proper sleep increases energy, regulates mood, helps with behavior, and promotes better memory and learning abilities.
Setting up your children’s sleeping space for great sleep has a multitude of benefits that contribute to good sleep hygiene habits.
Setting Up A Bedtime Routine
Better sleep can always be possible when there is a solid bedtime routine in place. One of the best first steps to creating the best bedtime routine is to ensure your child goes to bed at the same time every single night and wakes up at the same time. We even suggest following this rule on weekends.
Sleeping at the same time and waking up at the same time conditions the mind and body to generate an active sleep cycle. Having such strict timing also contributes to the development of a body clock, which means your child will be able to wake up without an alarm or constant wake up calls from you each morning.
A bedtime routine should be looked at holistically to include rituals such as brushing teeth, drinking water, and reading a few pages of a book. These routines help prepare the body for sleep.
Television, phone, or computer usage are harmful to a bedtime routine. The blue light from screens is not suitable for the eyes just before bed. It can create alertness in the mind rather than calmness making falling asleep more complicated than necessary.
You can set a good example of effective sleep hygiene by banning the use of all technology and screen time at least 1 hour before bedtime. This way, everyone in the house can practice good sleep hygiene habits that will create a most rested household.
Reduce Napping
Too much napping in the day causes many children to lose sleep at night. While napping can be useful sometimes, overall, too much napping is not a good idea.
Reduce napping after 3 pm so the body can better prepare for a full 9 hours of sleep. Turning the mind and body by not napping at all can actually be a smarter option if you want your children to get complete night sleep.
Use A Supportive Pillow
A quality pillow is just as important as a quality mattress for your children. The best pillow is a memory foam pillow – it is an excellent pillow for kids as the best memory foam pillows can be adjusted in height, which is a great feature as your kid grows.
The reason why memory foam pillows are so great for children is that they are a cooling pillow. Many children get hot throughout the night, so sleeping on a cooling pillow can ensure they don’t wake up overheating and uncomfortable.
Sleeping on a good pillow is essential as the neck and shoulder can experience strain if the pillow is too soft or too hard. The best cooling pillows are often bamboo pillows. Bamboo is a natural material that is hypoallergenic and incredibly soft. It’s a perfect choice if your children have allergies.
Developing lasting and effective sleep hygiene habits is something that adults struggle with a lot. This is largely because, as children, they were not taught the importance of sleep and not best prepared to sleep as comfortably as possible. Nowadays, the best mattresses and quality bedroom accessories are affordable enough that everyone in the house can have a comfy place to sleep.
Helping children create better sleeping habits from a young age can leave a life-long impression for better health and wellbeing.
