Key points about managing insomnia
- good sleep habits are really important for tamariki who have problems falling asleep
- teaching your child ways to relax can help them fall asleep
- you can help your child have good thoughts about going to sleep rather than bad ones
- remove the clock from the bedroom, as your child may be watching it during the night
- to get on top of insomnia you can temporarily set your child's bedtime later
This page is about sleep in primary school tamariki.
Establishing good sleep habits for your child
Good sleep habits are important for tamariki who have problems falling asleep (insomnia).
Good habits should include:
- going to bed at the same time each night and waking up at the same time every day (even on the weekends)
- avoiding caffeine (often in chocolate bars as well as Coke, tea and coffee)
- making sure the bedroom is cool, quiet, and fairly dark
- having a bedtime routine that is calm and helps kids wind down
- avoiding over-exciting activities before bed like computer games and TV
Remove the clock from the bedroom, as your child may be watching it during the night. This may be adding to their worry about not sleeping.
Helping your child relax
Teaching your child ways to relax can help them fall asleep. The following relaxation idea is an example of one you can teach your child.
Have your child lie down with their eyes closed.
Encourage your child to think about their favourite relaxing place such as the beach or park.
Get them to tighten and then relax all the muscles in their body.
Go through the body doing one muscle group after the other.
Helping change your child's thoughts about sleep
You can help your child have good thoughts about going to sleep rather than bad ones. For example, instead of saying:
I won't be able to sleep tonight
it is better to think:
Tonight I will just relax and rest at bedtime.
Changing your child's bedtime
To help manage insomnia, you can temporarily set your child’s bedtime later. For example, if your child usually falls asleep at 11pm, start with a bedtime of 10:45pm. Being more sleepy can help your child fall asleep quickly and stay asleep.
After a couple of nights, move bedtime earlier to 10:30pm. Once your child is falling asleep easily, bring it forward again to 10:15pm. Continue this pattern until you reach the desired bedtime.
Getting your child up and out of bed
If your child is still tossing and turning 20 minutes after going to bed, let them get up for 20 minutes and do something quiet, such as reading. This can help them see their bedroom as a place for sleep. It also helps stop them linking their bedroom with not being able to sleep.
After 20 minutes, take your child back to bed. You may need to repeat this a few times.
More information
See the section on normal sleep to learn about sleep across the ages.
Acknowledgements
Starship Foundation and the Paediatric Society of New Zealand thank the Centre for Community Child Health at the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute and Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia, for making this content available to parents and families.
© Copyright – Centre for Community Child Health at the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute and Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 2014. Except as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth), no part of this content may be reproduced by a process, electronic or otherwise, without the specific written permission of the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute.
