BEDTIME CALMING By Teri Allen, OTR & Amy Taylor Johnson, OTR If you have concerns about your child's sleep habits, you are not alone. Many young children experience difficulty falling asleep, sleeping in their own bed, or awaken frequently during the night. This is an important issue for parents - when your child does not sleep well, neither do you! Without adequate sleep both big and little folks become irritable, cranky, and easily frustrated. Your child's sleep patterns are, in part, an indication of his self- regulation. Self regulation refers to your child's ability to change his level of alertness. The optimal level of alertness varies, depending on the task. In order to get to sleep and stay asleep, a child's level of alertness needs to be low. If he attends to every noise in the house, the smell of Dad's evening coffee, or how the sheets feel, sleep will be difficult. Most big folks have learned how to reduce their level of alertness in order to go to sleep. Some people read, others watch T.V., most need a dark and quiet room in order to fall asleep. They are altering the sensory experiences to reduce their level of alertness. With a little detective work, you can learn what activities are effective in helping your child develop good sleep patterns. The list below will show you the effect many common sensory experiences have on your child's level of alertness. Sense of movement: Slow rhythmic movement such as rocking, swinging or bouncing will generally lower a child's level of alertness. Rapid or irregular movement will have the opposite effect. Touch: Deep pressure touch is generally more calming to the nervous system. A massage with lotion in downward strokes on the arms, legs and back may be helpful. A heavy blanket, a body pillow or stuffed toys piled around a child will provide deep pressure touch. Some children find it calming to be in a sleeping bag. Light or unpredictable touch, such as tickling or "rough housing", will increase a child's level of arousal. Vision: Dim lights and an absence of moving visual stimuli will be most calming. Television shows that have rapid and irregular visual effects, video games, or bright lights will tend to increase your child's level of alertness and increase sleep problems. Hearing: Soft music with a predictable rhythm, or a constant predictable noise such as a fan will lower your child's level of alertness. Loud, unpredictable noise or music will have an alerting effect. -Additional suggestions- Eating and drinking have a calming effect on most children. If your child is too old for a bedtime bottle, try offering a thick warm liquid through a straw or something chewy to eat, such as a bagel or fruit leather. Don't give up too quickly!! Keep a new bedtime routine, for at least a week. With adults, new routines take about 21 days of repetition before they become habit!! SWEET DREAMS!!! |
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