If this pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that being stuck at home can severely derail your daily routine. Whether that’s mealtimes, chores, exercise, and yes, even sleep. Sleep is the probably most important activity you ever do in your life, and some of us are terrible at it. Poor sleep is just one of those things that adults eventually learn to live with. However, kids are far too young to experience that kind of disruption so early in life. They need to have proper bedtime routines to ensure a productive day at school. You may think it’s absurd to blame the COVID-19 pandemic for your kids’ messed up sleeping schedules. However, you may want to keep reading to find out just why experts think that might be the case.
Why COVID-19 is Messing Up Your Kids’ Bedtime Routines
Children aged 5 to 12 typically require around 9 to 11 hours of sleep to maintain proper cognitive and physiological development. Teenagers require at least 10 hours a night. Anything less and they can experience negative side effects like mood swings, brain fog, and irritability. Sleep deprivation can also cause obesity, stress, learning difficulty, poor memory, poor decision-making, and attention problems. The effects simply go far beyond a decline in academic performance.
Chances are, for some parents, poor sleep has been a problem for their kids long before COVID-19 was even a thing. Social media and extended screen times are mostly to blame. Social media floods the brain with hormones like cortisol, adrenaline, dopamine, and norepinephrine. These chemicals induce alertness and stimulation, making it harder for the brain to relax and shut down for sleep. Combined with the sleep-disrupting effects of blue-light from smartphone and computer screens, you have the perfect recipe for a terrible night’s sleep.
How does this relate back to the COVID-19 pandemic? Two words: Online classes. Back in our pre-COVID days, I doubt children spend all their day on their phones. Maybe 2 to 3 hours after school if they have responsible parents who monitor their screen time. But as the pandemic wears on, virtual learning slowly started becoming the new norm. Now children are exposed to bright computer screens for 6 to 7 hours a day. Plus whatever extra screen time they et after they’re done with school.
Moreover, since schools are taking place virtually, there’s no need to get up early. Children can wake up half an hour before school starts and still make it in time to login for their morning class. Children have also been going to bed much later and sleeping in more than usual. As parents slack off, so do their children. Your kids’ bedtime routines may have been disrupted because of the pandemic. Fortunately there are several effective ways to reset their sleep schedules, so they can return to school refreshed and energized.
5 Ways To Fix Your Kids’ Bedtime Routines
Reduce Screen Time
Probably the first thing you should do to fix your kids’ bedtime routines is to reduce your kids’ screen time. There may be some loud protests, but it’s for their own good. They should stop using their devices, including the television, ideally 2 hours before bed. This includes any online homework they need to do. Don’t forget, laptops and computers emit sleep-killing blue light as well. If they need to work a little later, by them blue light filter glasses. That way, looking at their devices won’t affect their sleep too much. Social media, video games and TV programs are all highly stimulating. They engage the wake centres of the brain, making it hard for your kids to go to sleep.
Maintain Their Sleep Hygiene
Sleep hygiene refers to good sleeping habits. Maintaining good sleep hygiene ensures good, productive sleep, which is essential for fixing your kids’ bedtime routines. One way to maintain sleep hygiene for your kids is to make sure they have a consistent sleeping schedule. This means making sure they go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends. You also need to make sure their bedrooms are completely dark and at a cool temperature. There should ideally not be any electronics nearby, and you should shut down your mobile devices 30 minutes before bedtime. Finally, it’s important to have a relaxing nighttime ritual to wind down. For children, this can include reading them their favourite storybook.
Have an Early Dinner
Food is another factor you need to pay attention to when maintaining sleep hygiene. You should not have a heavy meal so close to bedtime. The digestive process releases all sorts of hormones like insulin. Insulin plays a significant role in regulating your circadian rhythm and signalling sleep and wake cycles. Moreover, your body temperature increases during digestion, which is not ideal for sound sleep. Your body needs to be cool in order for the proper sleep hormones to kick in. So make sure your kids get an early dinner, ideally 2 to 3 hours before their bedtime.
Tire Them Out
Exercise is an important factor in maintaining good sleep hygiene. However, the time of day you exercise can either help or hinder your sleep quality. Experts agree that exercise before bed is a definite no-no. Physical activity increases body temperature and floods the body with stimulating hormones like dopamine. Your body will take longer to return to a relaxed state, making it harder for you to go to sleep. So it’s best to schedule your young one’s exercise in the morning, afternoon, or early evening. They should ideally not be doing any strenuous activities 90 minutes before bed. Morning exercises outdoors are generally recommended, as the natural daylight will reset their circadian rhythm. This helps them fall asleep much faster at night. You’ll get their bedtime routines on track in no time.
Slowly Turn Back the Clock
If your kids have made a habit of sleeping later than their usual bedtime, then you need to help them get to sleep earlier. This involves 10 to 15 minute intervals where you slowly help them integrate back to their old sleeping patterns. For example, your child may now sleep at 10pm instead of 9pm. To implement this tip, get him to sleep at 9.45 for the next two to three days. Then slowly work your way up to 9.35, then 9.20, then 9.10. Eventually your kid will get right back to their regular sleeping schedule. It just takes some time. Literally.
Resetting Sleeping Schedules
With schools reopening, it’s become all the more crucial for parents to reset their kids’ sleeping schedules and bedtime routines. This of course does not only apply to the COVID-19 pandemic, which is already slowly improving. There will be plenty of times throughout the year when your kids’ sleeping schedules will be disrupted again. School holidays, semester breaks, and even normal weekends. Your kids will be tempted to stay up late in the night and wake up late in the morning. So don’t forget to implement these tips when that happens. That said, maybe you can apply these strategies in your own life as an adult as well. Goodness knows, we all need a little help with our sleep every once in a while.
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