tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/bedtime-routine-22688/articlesBedtime routine – The Conversation2022-12-26T20:51:59Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1961102022-12-26T20:51:59Z2022-12-26T20:51:59ZBetter sleep for kids starts with better sleep for parents – especially after holiday disruptions to routines<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502462/original/file-20221221-16-nw1gh5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=393%2C11%2C7235%2C5006&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">When sleep routines have gone haywire, there are things to keep in mind to help the whole family reset.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/little-girl-jumping-on-an-old-fashioned-bed-royalty-free-image/1263573784">Catherine Falls/Moment via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Everyone knows that <a href="https://doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.6288">sleep is critical for growing children</a> and their mental and physical health. Regular, high-quality sleep habits help children <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.12119">consolidate memory</a> and learn better. A <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-815373-4.00032-0">lack of sleep</a> contributes to childhood depression, anxiety and even risk of suicide, along with physical health problems, including risk of injury. The challenge is making sure kids log those valuable zzz’s.</p>
<p>There are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2009.10.004">three main components of high-quality sleep</a> for children. First, they need enough total hours – sleep duration. Sleep quality is important, too – sleeping soundly during the night with few disruptions or awakenings. And, finally, there’s <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2017.12.015">sleep timing</a> – essentially, a consistent schedule, with bedtime and risetime about the same across the whole week.</p>
<p>Even when you know how important good sleep is, it’s easy for sleep duration, quality and timing to get knocked off track. It can happen for infrequent reasons, such as the pleasant chaos of a holiday, or the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2021.02.003">disturbances that accompany pandemic life</a>. Healthy sleep habits are hard to maintain for everyday mundane reasons, too, such as parent-child disagreement, busy schedules and older children’s leisurely weekend behavior. But there are ways for families to get sleep back on course.</p>
<p>As <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=t-lUR98AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">a child development researcher</a> and family therapist, I study parenting and family behaviors that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/fam0000433">create healthy environments for children’s sleep patterns</a>. In particular, I help parents to develop consistent and nurturing routines. Sleep patterns are set early, and parents play an important role in nurturing children’s perspectives and attitudes. Here’s the overarching advice I share with families, no matter the age of their kids.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502463/original/file-20221221-23-7b161s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="yawning woman holding a glowing phone" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502463/original/file-20221221-23-7b161s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502463/original/file-20221221-23-7b161s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502463/original/file-20221221-23-7b161s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502463/original/file-20221221-23-7b161s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502463/original/file-20221221-23-7b161s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502463/original/file-20221221-23-7b161s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502463/original/file-20221221-23-7b161s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Grown-ups can’t ignore their own sleep hygiene while expecting kids to stick with the rules.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/woman-yawning-while-playing-and-surfing-internet-on-royalty-free-image/1370622944">Boy_Anupong/Moment via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>1. Set and model family values about sleep</h2>
<p>Children are observant learners. They pay very careful attention to both the spoken and unspoken <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9507.2009.00570.x">rules of their clan</a>.</p>
<p>To get everyone in the household sleeping well, sleep can’t be something that only children must care about, <a href="https://doi.org/10.2307/1129720">while adults who have freedom and power</a> joke about their own unhealthy habits. If sleep seems like punishment, rather than the gift for health that it is, children will be likely to resist it.</p>
<p>Adults need to talk the talk and walk the walk that sleep is a priority for everyone in the family. Be a role model. If you’ve fallen into a habit of binge-watching TV into the wee hours, for instance, work on reining that in. Use positive language about your own sleep. Pay attention to what you say, and what you communicate through your own habits, reinforcing that it’s important to the whole family to get sleep and have energy for the next day. Don’t make the mistake of discussing bedtime as a chance for adults to get distance from the kids.</p>
<h2>2. Know your child</h2>
<p>Remember, every kid is unique, so don’t expect one-size-fits-all sleep advice to work universally. A child’s <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/icd.720">temperament plays a significant role</a> in the duration, quality and timing of their sleep. For instance, a feistier child may not adapt as quickly to a sleep schedule over the first year. And temperament is a pretty stable part of who your child is and will continue to be.</p>
<p>A parent’s job is to keep encouraging routines and setting limits – but with ongoing warmth and sensitivity about the characteristics of the one-of-a-kind child you have.</p>
<p>When you’re exhausted and struggling with a child’s behavior, it can be hard to stay positive. My recommendation is to use the daytime hours wisely as investment in your relationship. Be proactive about noticing the good in your kid. Remind yourself that your child is their own person, learning in lots of ways throughout the day, and that child development is a marathon, not a sprint, for positive change. Sleep regressions or other sleep difficulties, like <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2011.06.001">night awakening or changes in sleep habits</a>, are opportunities for growth, not punishment.</p>
<p>By laying this groundwork, it becomes easier to tap into a positive and respectful attitude during times of stress. Remind yourself that change over time is more important than control over a given moment. After all, strained parent-child relationships can actually lead to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2019.03.002">continuing sleep and behavioral problems</a> in young children. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502465/original/file-20221221-26-7qvht3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="boy leaning into man who's kissing his head" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502465/original/file-20221221-26-7qvht3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502465/original/file-20221221-26-7qvht3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502465/original/file-20221221-26-7qvht3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502465/original/file-20221221-26-7qvht3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502465/original/file-20221221-26-7qvht3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=493&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502465/original/file-20221221-26-7qvht3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=493&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502465/original/file-20221221-26-7qvht3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=493&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Strengthening your relationship during the day supports healthy sleep at night.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/father-kissing-son-on-head-in-field-royalty-free-image/700711465">Hill Street Studios/DigitalVision via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>3. Aim for consistency, with some flexibility</h2>
<p>In my practice, I see two common – but opposite – mistakes that parents make around sleep.</p>
<p>First, many parents let go of rules and boundaries altogether. Often this happens as a result of what children bring to the equation: personal temperament or age-related phenomena. For instance, the peak in behavioral aggression that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-03110-7_7">can come in toddlerhood</a> or the shift in sleep timing that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2006.12.002">comes in adolescence</a> can cause some parents to just throw in the towel and give up.</p>
<p>Alternatively, other parents become rigid. They see conflict around sleep as a struggle for power that the adult must win.</p>
<p>I argue that balance is key. Parents should adopt a consistent approach that fits with the sleep values they’ve been clear about all along. But they must also remain flexible to help children adapt routines to their own unique needs.</p>
<p>For example, all children at all ages should have a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psc.2006.08.004">regular bedtime and risetime</a>. However, parents may be open to a collaborative plan with older children about what those times should be, or attending to patterns and cues from younger children, working on a reasonable compromise that takes into account the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/mbe.12032">needs of the individual child</a>. Parents’ message about the importance of sleep should never waiver.</p>
<h2>4. Manage household issues that influence sleep</h2>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502466/original/file-20221221-16-qj1dm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="child lying in bed holding up tablet" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502466/original/file-20221221-16-qj1dm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502466/original/file-20221221-16-qj1dm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502466/original/file-20221221-16-qj1dm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502466/original/file-20221221-16-qj1dm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502466/original/file-20221221-16-qj1dm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502466/original/file-20221221-16-qj1dm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502466/original/file-20221221-16-qj1dm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Blue light before bed prevents a young body from winding down.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/boy-at-home-royalty-free-image/1300947018">Dejan_Dundjerski/iStock via Getty Images Plus</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Research shows that certain problems outside the bedroom create immediate and long-term risk for children’s sleep quality. These include <a href="https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2009-0690">exposure to second-hand smoke</a>, excessive or evening-timed <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-019-03318-7">blue light exposure from screens</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2012.02530.x">conflict in the home</a>. Dealing with these factors will likely pay dividends when it comes to your kids getting a good night’s sleep.</p>
<p>Good sleep hygiene is a family affair. It’s never too late to nudge habits in a good direction and recommit to everyone getting the rest they need. Your child’s sleep habits can be a critical building block of lifelong wellness.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/196110/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Erika Bocknek does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Sound sleep, for long enough every night, with consistent bed and wake-up times are critical for kids’ health. A child development expert suggests some overarching tips to help get you there.Erika Bocknek, Associate Professor of Educational Psychology, Wayne State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1878152022-08-03T12:09:33Z2022-08-03T12:09:33Z4 ways to get the new school year off to a good start<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/476956/original/file-20220801-70681-ng2xb8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=30%2C40%2C6679%2C4426&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Simple steps can make the transition back to school run smoother.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/mother-kneeling-down-to-little-girl-at-school-royalty-free-image/1353484056?adppopup=true">Courtney Hale / Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>As a former school principal and district superintendent, I’ve witnessed firsthand how some students struggle to settle into routines when a new school year begins.</p>
<p>Some students would show up late, if they came at all. Some told their parents they were sick and wanted to stay home. </p>
<p>A lot of this was due to the anxiety over going to a new school or having to adapt to new friends, new teachers and a new schedule. But sometimes it was the simple result of kids having gotten used to staying up late and sleeping in over the summer. The sudden change of having to wake up early to go to school can make kids very cranky.</p>
<p>Even though it can be challenging for some kids to start a new school year, there are a few simple steps that parents can take to make the process easier and less stressful. Here are four of my top recommendations:</p>
<h2>1. Reestablish a bedtime</h2>
<p>Don’t wait until the night before the first day of school to bring back bedtime. Do it a week or two before school starts. Then, stick to the schedule throughout the school year.</p>
<p>Sleep deprivation is one of the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2005.11.001">biggest detriments</a> to students of any age doing well in school. Children of all ages need <a href="https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/sleep.html">adequate sleep</a> to improve their mood and their behavior.</p>
<p>Proper amounts of sleep range from <a href="https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/sleep.html">nine to 12 hours for elementary and middle schoolers and from eight to 10 hours for high schoolers</a>.</p>
<p>And, to ensure your child’s sleep is uninterrupted, keep technological devices out of the bedroom.</p>
<h2>2. Practice the morning routine</h2>
<p>A week before school begins, start practicing the morning routine. Are clothes and shoes chosen and ready to go? Are lunches and snacks packed? Are backpacks packed and easy to find?</p>
<p>Part of healthy child development is giving children a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0907568217743557">sense of control</a>. To further this goal, let children pick out and lay out their clothes for the next day. Provide some basic guidance on what’s appropriate to wear to school. Allow children to pack the lunch or snack, again providing guidelines of what’s appropriate and what’s not.</p>
<h2>3. Visit the school ahead of time</h2>
<p>If possible, especially for children going to a new school, visit the school and practice walking to their classrooms.</p>
<p>Many schools offer orientations for students and their caretakers.</p>
<p>If there is no orientation, call the school and ask when it might be possible to come to walk around with your children to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F2156759X0701000303">help familiarize</a> them with their new classrooms. This will provide a level of comfort to your child on the first day of school.</p>
<h2>4. Sign up for after-school activities</h2>
<p>Encourage your child to participate in one or two after-school activities, whether school- or community-based. If the after-school activities are off-site from the school, ask school employees or after-school program providers about transportation.</p>
<p>Participation in extracurricular activities that interest your child can increase their <a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED360373">motivation and ability to pay attention</a>, both in the activity as well as school in general. However, be careful not to overschedule your child. The benefits of extracurricular activities – which include a stronger sense of belonging to the school community, higher grades and improved academic engagement – are maximized when after-school activities are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-011-9737-4">limited to two</a>.</p>
<p>Following these tips will hopefully help families make sure the school year gets off to a good start.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/187815/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Suzanne McLeod does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A veteran school administrator offers insights on how children’s caretakers can better prepare them for a new school year.Suzanne McLeod, Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership, Binghamton University, State University of New YorkLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1533012021-03-08T00:30:49Z2021-03-08T00:30:49ZFor children, it’s not just about getting enough sleep. Bed time matters, too<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/378751/original/file-20210114-21-1usyhub.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=27%2C54%2C5979%2C3953&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Adequate sleep is key to good health, well-being and proper functioning across all life stages but is especially critical for children. <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31121414/">Poor sleep</a> can inhibit rapid growth and development in early childhood.</p>
<p>And it’s not just about sleep duration; the time one goes to bed also plays an <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4437224/">important role</a> in the physical, emotional, and cognitive development of children.</p>
<p>A <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4067465/">consistent early bedtime</a> is especially important for young children transitioning from biphasic sleep (where children still nap during the day) to monophasic sleep (where sleep happens at night). </p>
<p>Late sleepers don’t always get the recommended amount of sleep but evidence also suggests late bedtime <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/action/showCitFormats?doi=10.1111%2Fj.1651-2227.2011.02515.x">is associated</a> with <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1389945720301866?via%3Dihub#">sleep quality</a> problems and difficulty falling asleep.</p>
<p>All this can add up to concentration, memory, and behaviour issues in children. </p>
<h2>An early bedtime is good for physical health, too</h2>
<p>One <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4004335/">study</a> of low income preschool-aged children found not getting enough sleep was associated with a higher risk of obesity. A <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25517022/">review</a> of academic literature on the question found</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Poor sleep is increasingly common in children and associations between short sleep duration in early childhood and obesity are consistently found.</p>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387655/original/file-20210304-19-j0ezkv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A woman reads to a child in bed." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387655/original/file-20210304-19-j0ezkv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387655/original/file-20210304-19-j0ezkv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387655/original/file-20210304-19-j0ezkv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387655/original/file-20210304-19-j0ezkv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387655/original/file-20210304-19-j0ezkv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387655/original/file-20210304-19-j0ezkv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387655/original/file-20210304-19-j0ezkv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Adequate sleep is key to good health.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It’s worth noting that most of the studies on this question are cross-sectional, which means they look at data from a population at one specific point in time. That has major limitations that make it hard to say poor sleep habits <em>cause</em> the higher obesity risk. </p>
<p>To know more, we need more longitudinal studies that examine change over time.</p>
<p>That said, emerging evidence from longitudinal studies supports the idea an early bedtime may be worth the battle. One longitudinal <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5003745/#:%7E:text=The%20prevalence%20of%20adolescent%20obesity,with%20preschoolers%20with%20late%20bedtimes">study</a> found:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Preschool-aged children with early weekday bedtimes were half as likely as children with late bedtimes to be obese as adolescents. Bedtimes are a modifiable routine that may help to prevent obesity.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>My own <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/apa.15219">research</a>, published last year with colleagues in the journal Acta Paediatrica, analysed four years of data from 1,250 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged five to eight years old. </p>
<p>The results highlight that even after controlling sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, children who had consistently late bedtimes (after 9.30pm) were <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/apa.15219">on average</a> 1.5kg to 2.5kg heavier at follow up three years later than children who go to bed early (at around 7pm).</p>
<p>Nobody can yet say for sure what the exact relationship is between bedtime and obesity risk. Maybe it’s that staying up late provides <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25135376/#:%7E:text=Higher%20frequency%20of%20consuming%20unhealthy,%2D0.36%2C%20P%20%3C%200.001">more opportunities</a> for eating junk food or drinking caffeinated drinks.</p>
<p>Or there could be more complex physiological factors. The body’s internal clock, which regulates sleep, also plays a <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30497764/">crucial</a> <a href="https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/500071">role</a> in hormone secretion, glucose metabolism and energy balance.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387671/original/file-20210304-20-13boyin.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A man and a child read a book in bed." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387671/original/file-20210304-20-13boyin.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387671/original/file-20210304-20-13boyin.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387671/original/file-20210304-20-13boyin.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387671/original/file-20210304-20-13boyin.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387671/original/file-20210304-20-13boyin.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387671/original/file-20210304-20-13boyin.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387671/original/file-20210304-20-13boyin.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Try to stick to the same bedtime.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>How late is late?</h2>
<p>Sleep habits are shaped by a range of biological and cultural factors. When parents set their child’s bedtime, they’re influenced by cultural norms, lifestyle and what they know about the importance of sleep.</p>
<p>There are clear <a href="https://www.sleepfoundation.org/press-release/national-sleep-foundation-recommends-new-sleep-times">guidelines</a> for sleep duration for each age group, but the time a child should go to bed isn’t always as clearly defined. <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/apa.1521">For a pre-schooler</a>, I’d recommend a consistent bedtime between 7pm and 8pm to ensure adequate <a href="https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/132/5/e11">sleep</a> (recognising, of course, that work and caring responsibilities can make this really difficult for some parents). </p>
<p>Develop an early bedtime routine for your child and try to stick to it, even when it’s “not a school night”. Irregular bedtimes disrupt natural body rhythms and, as many parents know from direct experience, can lead to <a href="https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/132/5/e1184">behavioural challenges</a> in children.</p>
<p>Early childhood is a critical time in which the foundations of life-long habits are built. Developing healthy sleep habits can set children on the right path for better future health and well-being.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/153301/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Yaqoot Fatima receives funding from the NHMRC, the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF). She is also involved with contract research and consultancy work funded by WQPHN, Queensland Health and Health and Wellbeing Queensland. She is a member of the Indigenous working party of Australasian Sleep Association.</span></em></p>Early childhood is the critical time in which the foundations of life-long habits are built. Developing healthy sleep habits can set children on the right path for better future health and wellbeing.Yaqoot Fatima, Senior Research Fellow, James Cook UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1537162021-02-01T04:37:43Z2021-02-01T04:37:43ZWakey wakey: a history of alarm clocks and the mechanics of time<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/381045/original/file-20210128-23-pqjped.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=23%2C55%2C5236%2C3667&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://image.shutterstock.com/image-photo/girl-sleeps-on-white-bed-260nw-1326196247.jpg">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>It’s the time of year when we Australians start returning to our normal rhythms. The first beats of the day are often the dreaded beeps of the alarm clock or a digital symphony from a bedside phone. </p>
<p>These modern electronic alarms are just the latest in a long sequence of methods used to wake us from sleep: from <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+130&version=NIV">the watchmen on ancient city walls waiting for the dawn</a> to more recent <a href="https://clocky.com/">clocks on wheels that have to be chased</a> to stop ringing. </p>
<p>The job of waking us up when our body clocks are telling us to sleep is a big ask. When did we first start using alarms, and what did they sound like? What’s changed about the sounds of time, and what hasn’t?</p>
<h2>Birdsong</h2>
<p>Some of the earliest words we have for time measurement show people’s particular interest in dividing up the different parts of the night. </p>
<p>In the pre-modern world, without electric lights and electric alarms, people paid more attention to the quality of light and the sounds around them. A rich vocabulary emerged in ancient languages for the different parts of the night. One <a href="https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/The_Fullness_of_Time/Hto5DwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=fullness+of+time+champion+hesperus&pg=PA42&printsec=frontcover">early Latin word</a> for the time before dawn was <em>gallicinium</em>, the time of the cock’s crow. Scientists have <a href="https://www.livescience.com/27972-roosters-know-time.html#:%7E:text=Roosters%20crow%20in%20the%20mornings,them%20to%2C%20new%20research%20suggests.&text=The%20rooster's%20morning%20cock%2Da,know%20the%20time%20of%20day.">since discovered</a> roosters really do know what time that is.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/381046/original/file-20210128-19-58rgbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Rooster crowing outdoors" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/381046/original/file-20210128-19-58rgbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/381046/original/file-20210128-19-58rgbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381046/original/file-20210128-19-58rgbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381046/original/file-20210128-19-58rgbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381046/original/file-20210128-19-58rgbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381046/original/file-20210128-19-58rgbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381046/original/file-20210128-19-58rgbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">‘Cocker-doodle-doo!’ Pre-modern night was divided into multiple segments, and the time before dawn was named for the cock’s crow.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://image.shutterstock.com/image-photo/horizontal-photo-male-colorful-rooster-260nw-203444983.jpg">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Birdsong remains an important way of experiencing waking up. In Australia, we often evoke birdsong when we think about sleep and waking — from <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2017-12-11/magies-ten-things-you-didnt-know/9245780#:%7E:text=The%20morning%20call%20of%20the,bird%2C%22%20Dr%20Jones%20said.">morning caroling magpies</a>, to <a href="https://wildambience.com/wildlife-sounds/pied-currawong/">the versatile currawong</a> or the midnight call of <a href="https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/willie-wagtails-the-werewolves-of-the-bird-world#:%7E:text=Male%20willie%20wagtails%20sing%20at%20night%20whether%20they%20are%20alone,so%20to%20protect%20their%20territories.">willie wagtails</a>. Less melodic, though equally striking, is another possible bird noise associated with early rising — “sparrow’s fart” — <a href="https://www.haggardhawks.com/post/sparrowfarts">first attested to</a> in the 19th century. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/birdsong-has-inspired-humans-for-centuries-is-it-music-79000">Birdsong has inspired humans for centuries: is it music?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Human wake-up calls</h2>
<p>The human body has developed its own repertoire of alarms. </p>
<p>The Islamic call to prayer, <a href="https://folkways.si.edu/magazine-fall-winter-2014-muslim-call-prayer/islamic-sacred/music/article/smithsonian">the adhan, sung by men called muezzin</a>, is one of the most sonically striking examples, with various versions marking out differences between traditions and regions. The <a href="https://www.freemusicdictionary.com/definition/melismatic/">melismatic chant</a> — where a single syllable is sung over several musical notes — is both a wake up call to prayer (“Prayer is better than sleep”) and a prayer in itself.</p>
<p>Some early-morning calls were combined with weather forecasting systems. In the 15th century the <a href="http://www.environmentandsociety.org/mml/meteorological-service-fifteenth-century-sandwich">town criers of the port of Sandwich</a> on the south coast of England would call out the wind changes in the night so seafarers would know when favourable (or unfavourable) winds sprang up. Much later, in some parts of the industrial world, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-35840393">professional knocker-uppers</a> might use a pea shooter or stick to tap on windows to wake you up for your shift.</p>
<p>Having humans wake you up would usually mean someone has to stay up all night. But how would that person know when to cry the alarm? Sundials would obviously be useless. This is one reason technologies developed to count the hours of night — ancient and medieval <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?id=xYhlNoUu-toC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false">water clocks</a> with markings to show how water flow corresponded to time passing, and later (from around the 14th century) <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ambrogio_Lorenzetti_002-detail-Temperance.jpg">sand glasses</a> in the familiar hourglass shape. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/381266/original/file-20210129-13-ax2k3u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="man taps on window" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/381266/original/file-20210129-13-ax2k3u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/381266/original/file-20210129-13-ax2k3u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=842&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381266/original/file-20210129-13-ax2k3u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=842&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381266/original/file-20210129-13-ax2k3u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=842&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381266/original/file-20210129-13-ax2k3u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1058&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381266/original/file-20210129-13-ax2k3u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1058&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381266/original/file-20210129-13-ax2k3u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1058&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">That’s service. Professional knocker uppers used to wake workers.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wikimedia Commons/Nationaal Archief</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Mechanical clocks</h2>
<p>The Middle Ages saw one of our most amazing inventions — mechanical clocks, originally driven by weights. Gravity <a href="https://www.giftoftimeclocks.com/how-clocks-work.html">pulled suspended weights down</a> to drive the clock mechanism. The weights were periodically wound back up for another cycle. </p>
<p>These clocks began as large objects in churches and town belfries. Some had elaborate automata: the extraordinary 16th-century <a href="https://www.visitstrasbourg.fr/en/things-to-see-and-do/visiting/places-to-visit/other-places-to-visit/f223007613_the-astronomical-clock-strasbourg/">Strasbourg clock</a> includes a famous cockerel whose cries echo through the cathedral. Its automated rooster was a survival from an earlier clock made in the 14th century, and included as part of the new renaissance clock.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/381265/original/file-20210129-15-kee3dp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Ancient cathedral clock" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/381265/original/file-20210129-15-kee3dp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/381265/original/file-20210129-15-kee3dp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381265/original/file-20210129-15-kee3dp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381265/original/file-20210129-15-kee3dp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381265/original/file-20210129-15-kee3dp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381265/original/file-20210129-15-kee3dp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381265/original/file-20210129-15-kee3dp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The astronomical clock in Cathedral Notre Dame, Strasbourg, Alsace.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://image.shutterstock.com/image-photo/astronomical-clock-cathedral-notre-dame-600w-61609303.jpg">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Some large clocks played music on bells before striking the hours. This year is the 700th anniversary of what may be the first such musical clock, installed in a <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?id=UaJhDwAAQBAJ&lpg=PA60&ots=YaT0pVEylW&dq=clock%20hymn%20monastery%20near%20Rouen%20in%201321&pg=PA60#v=onepage&q=clock%20hymn%20monastery%20near%20Rouen%20in%201321&f=false">monastery near Rouen in 1321</a>. It played a hymn, <em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pa65LL434OE&t=8s">Conditor alme siderum</a></em> (Dear Creator of the Stars), for the season of Advent that starts the Christian year. </p>
<p>Such chimes are our first recorded mechanical music, and a precursor to today’s musical alarms. The technology was probably developed by tech-geek monks as a way of dealing with waking up to sing their prayers in the night — even better if that wake-up call, like the adhan, was a pious prayer itself.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/acedia-the-lost-name-for-the-emotion-were-all-feeling-right-now-144058">Acedia: the lost name for the emotion we're all feeling right now</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>The modern alarm clock</h2>
<p>The earliest versions of the clocks we know today were made for large communities, public spaces or courtly elites. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/381572/original/file-20210201-17-1tircfp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="clock on wheels" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/381572/original/file-20210201-17-1tircfp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/381572/original/file-20210201-17-1tircfp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=587&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381572/original/file-20210201-17-1tircfp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=587&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381572/original/file-20210201-17-1tircfp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=587&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381572/original/file-20210201-17-1tircfp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=737&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381572/original/file-20210201-17-1tircfp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=737&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381572/original/file-20210201-17-1tircfp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=737&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The ‘clocky’ alarm clock on wheels requires the waker to chase it.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://clocky.com/">Clocky.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Gradually though, and certainly by the mid to late 15th century, you could find heavy <a href="https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/H_1958-1006-2138">iron wall clocks</a> in private houses (made in places still famous for clockmaking, such as Switzerland). These often had pins that you could place around the clock face to set the bell ringing at a particular time. These house alarm clocks could wake the owner to work and pray. </p>
<p>It was during this period, too, that compact spring mechanisms made smaller and <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hans_Eworth_-_Portrait_of_Lady_Dacre_-_WGA07581.jpg">smaller personal watches</a> possible, carried or worn on the body from the 16th century.</p>
<p>The personalisation of time accelerated in the 19th century and gave rise to some wild modern alarm clocks. Among the more striking inventions of the French magician Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin was <a href="https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/The_Restless_Clock/GRtlCwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=electric+alarm+clock+history+first&pg=PA305&printsec=frontcover">a clock that lit a candle after the alarm sounded</a>.</p>
<iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=459&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FSlapstickFestival%2Fvideos%2F236906477220672%2F&show_text=false&width=560" width="100%" height="459" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/morning-haze-why-its-time-to-stop-hitting-the-snooze-button-35611">Morning haze: why it's time to stop hitting the snooze button</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Though nothing has reached the sophistication of the breakfast-making Rube-Goldberg-style alarm clocks seen on <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0591028/plotsummary">The Goodies</a>, automaton clock alarms have promised <a href="https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/coffee-maker-alarm-clock">freshly made coffee and toast</a> or even just their <a href="https://www.thegreenhead.com/2018/03/smell-coffee-alarm-clock.php">aroma</a>. Here the familiar sounds of the kitchen, with their enticing morning smells, soften the rude awakening from sleep. </p>
<p>Today’s alarms, with all their invention, come as a gift (or depending on how much you enjoy waking up, a curse) from the Middle Ages to us today.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/381270/original/file-20210129-23-cv87nk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="iPhone clock icon" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/381270/original/file-20210129-23-cv87nk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/381270/original/file-20210129-23-cv87nk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381270/original/file-20210129-23-cv87nk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381270/original/file-20210129-23-cv87nk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381270/original/file-20210129-23-cv87nk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381270/original/file-20210129-23-cv87nk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381270/original/file-20210129-23-cv87nk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The iPhone can do a lot of things, but it cannot make toast.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1600783246235-213d48458763?ixid=MXwxMjA3fDB8MHxwaG90by1wYWdlfHx8fGVufDB8fHw%3D&ixlib=rb-1.2.1&auto=format&fit=crop&w=2167&q=80">Brett Jordan on Unsplash</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/153716/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Matthew S. Champion is the recipient of an Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DE200101479).</span></em></p>From birdsong to window-tapping professionals to bleeping symphonies, morning alarms have come a long way.Matthew S. Champion, Senior Research Fellow in Medieval Studies, Australian Catholic UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1444592020-08-19T17:52:36Z2020-08-19T17:52:36ZFamilies can support kids’ mental health whether they’re learning remotely or at school – here’s how<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353670/original/file-20200819-25336-1hh3706.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C354%2C4775%2C3301&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Kids learn who they are and how to cope within their families.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/father-in-discussion-with-daughters-before-school-royalty-free-image/671716337">Thomas Barwick/Stone via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The choice between in-person learning, where available, and remote learning is a fraught one for parents. Children experience joy and connection when they learn alongside other kids, but they risk being exposed to the coronavirus. Remote learning at home can protect kids from COVID-19, but does it set back their social-emotional development?</p>
<p>It may feel like a stark <a href="https://www.facebook.com/eeholmes423/posts/10157358309075404">choice between mental or physical health</a>. But as a family therapist and professor of educational psychology who <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=t-lUR98AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">studies resilience in families under stress</a>, I can assure you there’s no single schooling option that guarantees a happy, healthy kid or dooms a child to despair.</p>
<p>In fact, much more than schooling context, children’s mental health relies on high-quality relationships within families.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353474/original/file-20200818-18-1tlvsct.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="two girls wearing backpacks with their arms around each other" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353474/original/file-20200818-18-1tlvsct.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353474/original/file-20200818-18-1tlvsct.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=903&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353474/original/file-20200818-18-1tlvsct.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=903&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353474/original/file-20200818-18-1tlvsct.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=903&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353474/original/file-20200818-18-1tlvsct.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1134&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353474/original/file-20200818-18-1tlvsct.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1134&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353474/original/file-20200818-18-1tlvsct.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1134&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Children can be missing their school friends but still be doing OK at home.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/1ks9WPyj5fo">Free To Use Sounds/Unsplash</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Spending time with other children can benefit children’s mental health, though it’s not clear that group settings are necessary to achieve those gains. Some research from before the pandemic found that home-schooled children experience <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.2015.1116055">more academic success and better mental health</a> compared to kids in school, especially when families maintain ties to religious institutions and community groups. Other studies show no differences or suggest that home-schooled children <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2014.03.007">fall behind their peers</a>, especially when structure at home is too loose. And of course processes within schools during the pandemic will change how children interact.</p>
<p>No matter what the schooling situation, there are four key components that belong in a child’s mental health toolkit. The good news is that parents can support all of these areas as part of in-person, remote or small-pod learning.</p>
<h2>Connecting mind and body: ‘What I need’</h2>
<p>Mental health and physical health are inextricably linked. Physical activity, good nutrition and sleep are all crucial for both. Children need <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/fam0000433">clear bedtime routines</a> and a consistent schedule – especially during times of unease like now. Children need to go to bed <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cppeds.2016.12.001">at a similar time</a> each evening and wake up at a similar time each morning.</p>
<p>This guidance applies across ages. Though it’s normal for sleep schedules to shift in adolescence, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.12373">consistency remains critical</a>. Research increasingly shows that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2006-2089F">poor sleep hygiene</a> is a central issue in symptoms of depression, anxiety and other mental health problems.</p>
<h2>Developing identity: ‘Who I am’</h2>
<p>Children of all ages incorporate information from both family members and peers into their sense of identity.</p>
<p>School exposes students to others with similar and different viewpoints or backgrounds and lets them confront social rules. Research with home-schooled children shows that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0013124516677009">interacting with other home-schooled kids</a> is good for their mental health. Peer relationships, especially in adolescence, are related to self-esteem. Overall, positive peer relationships throughout childhood can help students adjust in school, while <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9780203841198/chapters/10.4324/9780203841198-10">bad experiences leave the strongest mark</a> on mental health. </p>
<p>But it’s kids’ empathy and pro-social behaviors, like helping someone in need – <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2004.05.005">characteristics they largely learn in their families</a> – that help them build and maintain their friendships. If you’re worried about kids being isolated while learning remotely, remember that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0143034306073402">parent-child attachment is the most important</a> source of self-esteem and a positive sense of self for children.</p>
<p>Focusing on reciprocity is one way families can help kids explore identity. Parents should ask open-ended questions and show curiosity about children’s opinions and interests. Family rituals, like a special weekly dinner, family game night or a loving bedtime ritual, can support family bonding and help children gain a strong sense of self, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/jmft.12293">contributing to better mental health</a>. Parents can try to engage in 20 minutes of joyful, focused interaction with their kids each day and consistently observe and promote their children’s positive attributes.</p>
<h2>Regulating emotions: ‘How I feel’</h2>
<p>Skills that allow children to understand their emotions and make choices about how they respond to them are crucial building blocks of good mental health. Families can practice regulating emotions with their children, supporting strategies to understand and manage frustration, anger and sadness when those feelings become unmanageable. Experiencing <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-006-9015-4">joy and positive emotions</a> supports good mental health.</p>
<p>Children are likely to experience complex emotions in the coming months. At school, kids may have a hard time separating from family or difficulty when confronted with new safety measures and expectations. In addition, existing school-based risk factors like bullying may exacerbate mental health issues. Children at home may feel disconnected and pick up on stress within families facing work and income challenges. Ongoing issues in families like parental mental health problems and family violence can also put children at risk.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353475/original/file-20200818-16-1af7j5h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Child painting with brush" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353475/original/file-20200818-16-1af7j5h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353475/original/file-20200818-16-1af7j5h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=752&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353475/original/file-20200818-16-1af7j5h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=752&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353475/original/file-20200818-16-1af7j5h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=752&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353475/original/file-20200818-16-1af7j5h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=945&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353475/original/file-20200818-16-1af7j5h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=945&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353475/original/file-20200818-16-1af7j5h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=945&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A creative outlet can help children manage emotions.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/YKLkzMuEA8Q">Madalyn Cox/Unsplash</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>When children face emotions that are unfamiliar, dysregulated behavior – which can include sleeplessness, aggression or listlessness, for example – may be a first indicator for adults, who can step in with emotion coaching. Parents can regularly check in with children to take their “feelings temperature” and suggest ways to practice coping.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/15401383.2010.485090">Outlets for creative expression</a>, like art, music and dance, can support positive emotional development and coping, as well.</p>
<h2>Recognizing interdependence: ‘Who we are’</h2>
<p>A big piece of good mental health is being able to see yourself as a part of a whole.</p>
<p>The parent-child relationship is the context in which children learn to view themselves as interdependent – a person who is connected to previous generations and present networks.</p>
<p>Responses to the pandemic can threaten the usual sense of community. To help make up for any isolation, whether due to remote learning or physical distancing measures, families can provide opportunities for children to consider others’ feelings and practice giving and receiving emotional support.</p>
<p>Parents must attend to their own mental health; research shows that if parents struggle with depression, aspects of children’s social-emotional development – including building empathy skills and engaging socially – <a href="https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2013.12121597">can also suffer</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353672/original/file-20200819-14-cffeu7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="boy and woman talking over a snack" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353672/original/file-20200819-14-cffeu7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353672/original/file-20200819-14-cffeu7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353672/original/file-20200819-14-cffeu7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353672/original/file-20200819-14-cffeu7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353672/original/file-20200819-14-cffeu7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353672/original/file-20200819-14-cffeu7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353672/original/file-20200819-14-cffeu7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Parents can use the same tools to support their kids’ mental health no matter what school looks like.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/mother-and-son-eating-and-doing-homework-at-dining-royalty-free-image/1216406560">Klaus Vedfelt/DigitalVision via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Challenges abound, but the tools are consistent</h2>
<p>Kids who were vulnerable before the pandemic remain vulnerable. But mental health risk factors are largely the same for children whether <a href="https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203841198">in school or learning from home</a>.</p>
<p>[<em>Deep knowledge, daily.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/the-daily-3?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=deepknowledge">Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter</a>.]</p>
<p>Any changes, even happy ones, can create stress. Good mental health is the ability to adapt. The strategies in this toolkit can help children adapt and cope with stress, whether due to the pandemic, economic inequities, racism, unaddressed special needs or interpersonal problems within a family. </p>
<p>Some children <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/reopening-schools.html">need to be in school</a>. Their learning needs may be complex or their homes may not be safe, and they depend on school to buffer problems at home. But the argument that all children in general <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/08/what-weve-stolen-our-kids/615211/">must be at school</a> to ward off a mental health crisis just is not true. Wherever and however kids are learning this year, families can support students so they continue developing as mentally healthy individuals.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/144459/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Erika Bocknek does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Good mental health is the ability to adapt to changes and stress. Whatever school looks like, parents can help keep kids’ social-emotional development on track in these four areas.Erika Bocknek, Associate Professor of Educational Psychology, Wayne State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1401962020-06-30T15:52:47Z2020-06-30T15:52:47Z10 reasons kids develop sleep problems, and how parents can help<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/344312/original/file-20200626-104543-3bj78f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=8%2C8%2C5455%2C3628&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Biology, psychology and environment can all influence a child's sleep patterns.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>For some parents, getting their child into bed is a struggle that can take hours. Others get up at midnight to help their child fall back to sleep. Sleep problems like these affect one in four kids — and their parents, too.</p>
<p>As a pediatric sleep researcher, I’ve grappled with the question of why these sleep problems happen. My team’s research delivers <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2020.101303">the largest synthesis</a> of why kids develop these sleep problems, capturing over 30 years of research. We have identified the 10 biggest reasons these sleep problems occur for kids ages one through 10 years.</p>
<h2>Why kids develop sleep problems</h2>
<p>This is a complex question. We identified nearly 60 factors that could play a role, from a pool of 98 studies. Ten of these factors were supported in several rigorous studies.</p>
<p>These factors fall under three “lenses” we can use to understand where children’s sleep problems come from: biology, psychology and the environment.</p>
<h2>Biology</h2>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/344309/original/file-20200626-104522-1es07j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/344309/original/file-20200626-104522-1es07j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=890&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/344309/original/file-20200626-104522-1es07j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=890&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/344309/original/file-20200626-104522-1es07j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=890&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/344309/original/file-20200626-104522-1es07j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1119&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/344309/original/file-20200626-104522-1es07j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1119&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/344309/original/file-20200626-104522-1es07j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1119&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">As children get older, they are less likely to have sleep problems.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Pixabay)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Biology involves the child’s internal functions, their make-up.</p>
<p>We identified two reasons kids develop sleep problems stemming from their biology — their temperament and their age.</p>
<p>Temperament, or disposition, is the personality you see in your baby. Babies who seem more fussy or irritable can have a hard time responding to change and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2006.01612.x">may not settle easily</a>. Babies with this type of temperament may be more likely to have sleep problems <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2869.2008.00692.x">later in childhood</a>.</p>
<p>As children get older, they are less likely to have <a href="https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2004-0815E">sleep problems</a>. This may be because their brains can better manage the processes needed to settle at night, or that they are more independent in their bedtime routines.</p>
<h2>Psychology</h2>
<p>The psychology of children’s sleep problems involves two parts: how children act and feel, and how children and parents interact with each other.</p>
<p>We found six psychological reasons kids develop sleep problems: three relating to how kids act and feel, and three relating to family interaction.</p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/343678/original/file-20200624-133013-1bd9vap.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/343678/original/file-20200624-133013-1bd9vap.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=831&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343678/original/file-20200624-133013-1bd9vap.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=831&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343678/original/file-20200624-133013-1bd9vap.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=831&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343678/original/file-20200624-133013-1bd9vap.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1045&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343678/original/file-20200624-133013-1bd9vap.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1045&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343678/original/file-20200624-133013-1bd9vap.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1045&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Children with consistent bedtime routines tend to have fewer sleep problems than those with inconsistent routines.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Pexels)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Firstly, we know that children who have had sleep problems earlier in life are likely to continue to have sleep problems <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-016-0692-x">later in childhood</a> — unless change happens.</p>
<p>Children with mental health problems tend to have <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-016-0692-x">more sleep problems</a>, even if there’s no diagnosis. There are two groups of problems linked with sleep problems: internalizing problems (like anxiety and depression) and externalizing problems (trouble with following rules and focusing). Internalizing problems can make it harder for kids to settle down and fall asleep, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-018-0267-4">due to higher stress levels</a>. Externalizing problems may make rules and routines more difficult for children to follow, which then makes it harder to settle to sleep.</p>
<p>How children and their parents interact also matters.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/343670/original/file-20200624-132965-1kqfm9t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/343670/original/file-20200624-132965-1kqfm9t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343670/original/file-20200624-132965-1kqfm9t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343670/original/file-20200624-132965-1kqfm9t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343670/original/file-20200624-132965-1kqfm9t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343670/original/file-20200624-132965-1kqfm9t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343670/original/file-20200624-132965-1kqfm9t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Consistent bedtime routines help kids to feel safe, settled and ready to fall asleep.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Pexels/Ketut Subiyanto)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>At night, parents who stay with their child until they fall asleep tend to have children with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/a0027366">sleep problems</a>. Parents become a cue for children to fall asleep. So, when a child wakes in the middle of the night and mom or dad isn’t there, it’s tricky to fall back asleep.</p>
<p>During the day, parents who have inconsistent rules at home, who do not enforce limits on their children or who react very strongly to little hitches tend to have children with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/icd.527">more sleep problems</a>. Parents who act in these ways may have trouble keeping their child on the same bedtime routine from night-to-night and have children who have more stress at bedtime, making it <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2017.10.007">harder to fall asleep</a>.</p>
<p>Consistency is also important at night. Children with consistent bedtime routines tend to have fewer sleep problems than <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/mono.12149">children with inconsistent routines</a>. Consistent bedtime routines help kids to feel safe, settled and ready to fall asleep.</p>
<h2>The environment</h2>
<p>The environment involves how children and parents interact with the world around them.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/344308/original/file-20200626-104529-lqq2f0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/344308/original/file-20200626-104529-lqq2f0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=308&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/344308/original/file-20200626-104529-lqq2f0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=308&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/344308/original/file-20200626-104529-lqq2f0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=308&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/344308/original/file-20200626-104529-lqq2f0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/344308/original/file-20200626-104529-lqq2f0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/344308/original/file-20200626-104529-lqq2f0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">More electronics use is associated with more sleep problems, especially screen use before bedtime.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Pixabay)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Firstly, more electronic use is associated with more sleep problems. This is especially true when children use screens in their <a href="https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2010-3304">bedroom or close to bedtime.</a> This is because screens prevent melatonin (the sleep hormone) from doing its job, which is to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1418490112">make us sleepy</a>. But this isn’t the whole story. Electronics may also keep kids’ minds alert, especially if they are playing a game or watching an interesting show.</p>
<p>Secondly, families with lower incomes and lower education are more likely to have <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17450128.2010.507807">children with sleep problems</a>. This likely <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2020.101303">isn’t a direct result</a> of income or education, but the fallout from these circumstances, like living in noisy neighbourhoods or having parents with changing schedules.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/344317/original/file-20200626-104504-1i6skrl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/344317/original/file-20200626-104504-1i6skrl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/344317/original/file-20200626-104504-1i6skrl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/344317/original/file-20200626-104504-1i6skrl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/344317/original/file-20200626-104504-1i6skrl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/344317/original/file-20200626-104504-1i6skrl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/344317/original/file-20200626-104504-1i6skrl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/344317/original/file-20200626-104504-1i6skrl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Copyright Adam Newton.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Adam Newton)</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>These factors give a principal account of why sleep problems occur, but not the whole story. We don’t yet know how these factors might influence each other to make <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2019.07.055">sleep problems better or worse</a>. There are also other factors I’ve not mentioned — like bedroom light and noise or conflicts between parents — that may help our understanding.</p>
<h2>How can parents help?</h2>
<p>Of the 10 factors I’ve listed, parents can directly improve four:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Help kids to fall asleep on their own;</p></li>
<li><p>Develop a clear and consistent bedtime routine;</p></li>
<li><p>Limit electronics in the bedroom and at bedtime;</p></li>
<li><p>Calmly, set clear and age-appropriate limits for your child during the day.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>These changes can be easy to make and can have a great impact on your kid’s sleep.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/140196/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Adam T. Newton is a PhD Candidate at Western University. He receives funding from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council. </span></em></p>One in four children will experience sleep problems before their 10th birthday. Here are the top factors, plus steps parents can take to give their kids (and themselves) a good night’s sleep.Adam T. Newton, PhD Candidate in Clinical Psychology, Western UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1238712019-09-30T02:47:19Z2019-09-30T02:47:19Z6 ways to stop daylight saving derailing your child’s sleep<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/294002/original/file-20190925-51401-1gw3tru.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">It's harder for kids to get to sleep when it's light outside and they're not as tired.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/young-mother-her-2-years-old-322337936?src=JpbwHINXJDdLiO4qQZeb-A-3-10">Alena Ozerova/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Daylight saving will begin this weekend across most of Australia, signalling warmer weather, longer days and new opportunities for children to make the most of time outside.</p>
<p>It can also mark the start of a rough patch in the sleep department. Children’s body clocks can struggle to adjust as the hour shift forwards means they aren’t tired until later.</p>
<p>There are things parents can do to ease the transition to daylight saving and planning ahead is key. And if things get wobbly, there are also strategies to get them back on track.</p>
<p>But first, let’s look at where the problem starts. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/spring-forward-fall-back-how-daylight-saving-affects-our-sleep-25025">Spring forward, fall back: how daylight saving affects our sleep</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Children’s body clocks</h2>
<p>The body clock – also known as our circadian rhythm – controls when we sleep and wake. </p>
<p>Several environmental cues affect our body clock, the most common of which is the light-dark cycle. When it’s dark, our bodies produce more of the hormone melatonin, which helps bring on sleep. And when it’s light, our bodies produce less, so we feel more awake.</p>
<p>When daylight saving begins, children’s bodies aren’t getting the usual environmental signals to sleep at their regular time. </p>
<p>But a later bedtime means getting less sleep overall, which can <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3100528/">impact on</a> their concentration, memory, behaviour and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19403493">ability to learn</a>.</p>
<p>So, how do you plan for the daylight saving switchover?</p>
<h2>1. Take a sleep health check</h2>
<p>This is a good opportunity to look at how your child is sleeping and whether they’re <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24347573">getting enough sleep</a> overall. Individual needs will vary but <a href="https://raisingchildren.net.au/toddlers/sleep/understanding-sleep/about-sleep">as a guide</a>, here’s what you should aim for:</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/294713/original/file-20190930-185364-qk9ng6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/294713/original/file-20190930-185364-qk9ng6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/294713/original/file-20190930-185364-qk9ng6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=285&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/294713/original/file-20190930-185364-qk9ng6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=285&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/294713/original/file-20190930-185364-qk9ng6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=285&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/294713/original/file-20190930-185364-qk9ng6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=359&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/294713/original/file-20190930-185364-qk9ng6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=359&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/294713/original/file-20190930-185364-qk9ng6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=359&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Most children wake themselves in the morning, or wake easily with a gentle prompt, if they’re getting enough good-quality sleep.</p>
<p>But <a href="https://raisingchildren.net.au/toddlers/sleep/sleep-problems/sleep-problems-solutions">sleep problems</a> such as trouble getting to sleep and staying asleep are common and persistent. <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19403493">Around 50% of problems that begin before a child starts school</a> continue into the early school years. So, early intervention makes a difference.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/sleep-problems-that-persist-could-affect-childrens-emotional-development-62433">Sleep problems that persist could affect children's emotional development</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>2. Review the bedtime routine</h2>
<p>As well as the light-dark cycle, children’s circadian rhythms are synchronised with other environmental cues, such as timing around bath and dinner. A positive routine in the hour before bed creates consistency the body recognises, helping children wind down in preparation for sleep.</p>
<p>Bedtime routines work best when the atmosphere is calm and positive. They include a bath, brushing teeth and quiet play – like reading with you – some quiet chat time, and relaxing music. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/293993/original/file-20190925-51452-eqqpbd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/293993/original/file-20190925-51452-eqqpbd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/293993/original/file-20190925-51452-eqqpbd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/293993/original/file-20190925-51452-eqqpbd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/293993/original/file-20190925-51452-eqqpbd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/293993/original/file-20190925-51452-eqqpbd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/293993/original/file-20190925-51452-eqqpbd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Reading stories before bed is calming and helps create a predicable routine.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/father-reading-story-daughter-bedtime-627689348?src=l6O-sF_-S4IRB1uXjao6vg-1-31">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Keeping quiet time consistent makes it easier to say goodnight and lights out. Doing a quick check on whether they’ve had a drink, been to the toilet and so on can help address things they might call out for later. </p>
<p>Gently reminding children what you expect and quiet praise for staying in bed helps too.</p>
<h2>3. Keep regular sleep and wake times</h2>
<p>Sticking to similar daily bedtimes and wake times keeps children’s circadian rhythms in a regular pattern. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/regular-bed-times-as-important-for-kids-as-getting-enough-sleep-19396">Regular bed times as important for kids as getting enough sleep</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>It’s best to keep this routine during weekends and holidays – even though these are times when older children in particular are eager for later nights. This is worth remembering to avoid a double whammy of sleep disruption as daylight saving and the school holidays coincide. </p>
<p>If your child is not tiring until later, try making bedtime 15 minutes earlier each day until you reach your bedtime target. </p>
<h2>4. Control the sleep environment</h2>
<p>Darkening the room is an important cue to stimulate melatonin production. This can be challenging during daylight saving, depending on your home. Trying to block out light – say, with thicker curtains – is a good strategy. Keeping the amount of light in the room consistent will also make for better sleep.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4437561/">Research suggests</a> the blue light emitted by screens from digital devices might suppress melatonin and delay sleepiness. It’s advisable to turn screens off at least an hour before bed and to keep them out of the bedroom at night.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/293999/original/file-20190925-51401-rviy69.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/293999/original/file-20190925-51401-rviy69.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/293999/original/file-20190925-51401-rviy69.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/293999/original/file-20190925-51401-rviy69.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/293999/original/file-20190925-51401-rviy69.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/293999/original/file-20190925-51401-rviy69.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/293999/original/file-20190925-51401-rviy69.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Turn screens off an hour before bed.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/download/confirm/1018547617?src=3QMkr6RlCUPtb0ETFbcmBA-1-0&size=huge_jpg">Ternavskaia Olga Alibec/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/wired-and-tired-why-parents-should-take-technology-out-of-their-kids-bedroom-50406">Wired and tired: why parents should take technology out of their kid's bedroom</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Temperature plays a role in priming children for sleep, as core body temperature decreases in sync with the body clock. So, check the room, bedding or clothing aren’t too hot. Between 18°C and 21°C is the ideal temperature range for a child’s bedroom.</p>
<h2>5. Consider what happens during the day</h2>
<p>Making sure your child gets plenty of natural daylight, especially in the morning, keeps them alert during the day and sleepy in the evening. </p>
<p>Daytime physical activity also makes children tired and ready for a good night’s sleep.</p>
<p>For children over five, keep naps early and short (20 minutes or less) because longer and later naps make night sleep harder. </p>
<p>For younger children, too little daytime sleep can make them overtired and therefore harder to settle into bed.</p>
<h2>6. Focus on food and drink</h2>
<p>Think about dinner timing because feeling hungry or full before bedtime can delay sleep by making children too alert or uncomfortable. </p>
<p>It’s also important to avoid caffeine in the late afternoon and evening. Caffeine is in chocolate, energy drinks, coffee, tea and cola. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/kids-diets-and-screen-time-to-set-up-good-habits-make-healthy-choices-the-default-at-home-114827">Kids' diets and screen time: to set up good habits, make healthy choices the default at home</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>In the morning, a healthy breakfast helps kick-start your child’s body clock at the right time.</p>
<p>Finally, worries, anxiety, and common illnesses can also cause sleep problems. If problems last beyond two to four weeks, or you’re worried, see your GP.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/123871/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Associate Professor Julie Green is Executive Director of the Australian parenting website raisingchildren.net.au which receives funding from the Australian government.
Julie is a Director of the Parenting Research Centre. She is a co-investigator on one Australian Research Council Discovery Project grant and one National Health & Medical Research Council project grant.
</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jon Quach receives funding from the Australian Research Council and National Health Medical Research Council. He is affiliated with Sleep Health Foundation.
</span></em></p>Daylight saving time starts this weekend, and it can often be the beginning of new dramas getting kids to bed. Here’s how to make the transition a little smoother.Julie Green, Principal Fellow, Murdoch Children's Research InstituteJon Quach, Research fellow, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1175272019-05-28T12:30:18Z2019-05-28T12:30:18ZLimiting screen use is not the way to tackle teenage sleep problems – here’s how to browse healthily at night<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/276369/original/file-20190524-187143-36kurl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/woman-watch-on-mobile-phone-lying-1277272681?src=n4z8B144zUfkKOVkWW_R3A-1-26">leungchopan/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Both in <a href="https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/bmjopen/5/1/e006748.full.pdf">Europe</a> and the <a href="http://jcsm.aasm.org/viewabstract.aspx?pid=29249&k_clickid=%2Fwellness%2F">US</a>, more than 90% of adolescents have their faces buried in screens before bed. Often, this comes at a cost to sleep. Frequent screen users are much more likely to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4437561/">report</a> falling asleep later, sleeping less, and <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/z7kpf/">waking</a> during the night. Such difficulties are linked not only to poorer <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29908393">academic performance</a>, but also increased risk of health issues such as diabetes and heart disease in <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29908393">later life</a>.</p>
<p>As a result, teenage screen use is treated as an unhealthy addiction among much of the media. But this narrative is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the research. The problem isn’t use of screens at night, but how they’re used.</p>
<p>After a recent study <a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-05/esoe-spi051519.php">demonstrated</a> that limiting screen use for a week could restore normal sleep patterns in adolescents, media headlines widely hailed this as the salvation for sleep-troubled teens. However, these headlines <a href="https://www.ecosia.org/news?q=Sleep+problems+in+teenagers+reversed+in+just+one+week+by+limiting+screen+use">almost exclusively</a> ignored the fact that wearing blue-light blocking goggles was just as effective.</p>
<p>Exposure to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0166432817311002?via%3Dihub">alertness-inducing</a> blue light is undoubtedly a problem – when it comes from our screens at night, it can disrupt the natural circadian rhythms that secrete sleep hormones to prepare our bodies for rest. But it’s also an easy issue to solve. Applications already exist on phones and laptops that shift the blueness of light with the time of day, sidestepping the somewhat unrealistic expectation of teenagers donning special goggles. </p>
<h2>Content is key</h2>
<p>There’s a much more urgent issue at the heart of the relationship between bedtime devices and sleep, not just in youth, but for all of us. The screens we watch are not devoid of content, and how we interact with them is key.</p>
<p>Passive activities such as reading neutral content are largely <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/bjop.12351">unproblematic</a>, as long as care is taken to avoid keeping the brain whirring late into the night. The key area of concern is social media. Almost half of 13 to 17-year-olds admit to being online <a href="https://www.pewinternet.org/2018/05/31/teens-social-media-technology-2018/">almost constantly</a>, and these frequent users are much more likely to <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/z7kpf/">report</a> later sleep onset, as well as waking during the night.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/276377/original/file-20190524-187176-1hlxoz5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/276377/original/file-20190524-187176-1hlxoz5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276377/original/file-20190524-187176-1hlxoz5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276377/original/file-20190524-187176-1hlxoz5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276377/original/file-20190524-187176-1hlxoz5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276377/original/file-20190524-187176-1hlxoz5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276377/original/file-20190524-187176-1hlxoz5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Blue light disrupts our body’s internal clock – but it’s an easy issue to solve.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/disappointed-sad-woman-holding-mobile-phone-1129353881?src=bevsZXQK-QW99AEDkE041g-1-0">tommaso79/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But these negative impacts are also dependent on our <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/z7kpf/">relationship</a> with social media, rather than our mere use of it. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140197116300343">Work</a> from both our own lab and others suggests that the negative impacts of social media use on sleep quality may be a result of the anxiety, depression, and lowered self-esteem that it can <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2836296/pdf/1471-2458-10-66.pdf">induce</a>. Crucially, the negative mental health effects of social media are not inevitable, but dependent on the way we interact online. When used in the right way, screen use can actually be beneficial.</p>
<p>For example, time spent using image-based platforms like Instagram and Snapchat (but not text-based platforms like Twitter) is associated with <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563216302552?via%3Dihub">decreased loneliness</a>, possibly due to an enhanced sense of intimacy and interconnectedness. However, this benefit is dependent on using the platform to interact with other people – those who simply broadcast content actually report <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27855266">increased loneliness</a>. It’s also dependent on following people you know – the more strangers you follow, the more likely you are to have <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25965859">depressive symptoms</a>.</p>
<p>It may also surprise you to know that making social comparisons is not always problematic – what’s important is how we make them. Ability-based comparisons, such as comparing oneself to “fitspiration” posts showing body images only a few of us have the time and ability to achieve, can lead to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29327168">depression and envy</a>. Opinion-based comparisons, on the other hand, where social media users seek out the views of others to make sense of the world around them, can lead people to feel <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322415836_Social_Media_Social_Comparison_of_Ability_but_not_Opinion_Predicts_Lower_Identity_Clarity_Identity_Processing_Style_as_a_Mediator">inspired and optimistic</a>.</p>
<h2>Healthy nighttime browsing</h2>
<p>With that in mind, here are some tips based on the latest research on screen and social media use to help you make the best out of your evening browsing, and have a good night’s sleep.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/276792/original/file-20190528-42556-xwnh6o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/276792/original/file-20190528-42556-xwnh6o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=485&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276792/original/file-20190528-42556-xwnh6o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=485&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276792/original/file-20190528-42556-xwnh6o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=485&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276792/original/file-20190528-42556-xwnh6o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=610&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276792/original/file-20190528-42556-xwnh6o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=610&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276792/original/file-20190528-42556-xwnh6o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=610&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Leaving social media until the morning isn’t essential, but its still a good way of disconnecting.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/addicted-social-media-young-man-falling-1386129215?src=9Ed7hUBv7D7Dg4OEGV32ww-1-4">Sam Wordley/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>• Use your platforms to create communities and maintain connections through interaction – too much silent browsing and self-broadcasting can harm your peace of mind, and therefore your ease of sleep. And remember – the best selves you see are not representative of real life.</p>
<p>• Try to reserve the last half an hour before bed not doing anything too stimulating. Putting the phone down a little while before bed is a good habit to get into, but if you are going to use it, use a blue-light blocking app, and do something passive and unemotional that will allow the sleepy feeling to come.</p>
<p>• If you think that activities are getting in the way of you feeling sleepy, or that household bedtime routines do not match your rhythm, then talk to someone. Sleep is important but parents sending teens off to bed before they’re ready is not always the best plan.</p>
<p>We need to move away from the dominant narrative of screen and social media use as an evil, as a hindrance to healthy development. Our bedtime devices needn’t be guilt-inducing vices. The online world is rich and diverse.</p>
<p>Like any social interaction, social media use can be damaging if navigated in the wrong way, but the virtual world it opens up can also be fulfilling, informative, and empowering. So let’s create a society that uses it healthily – not just by blocking out blue light, but by blocking out the things that make you see yourself in a blue light.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/117527/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Holly Scott receives funding from the UK Economic and Social Research Council. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Heather Cleland Woods does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Many adolescents have trouble sleeping - but limiting screen use is not the solution. When used correctly, bedtime use of devices can be beneficial to mental health, without harming sleep quality.Heather Cleland Woods, Lecturer in Psychology, University of GlasgowHolly Scott, PhD Candidate in Psychology, University of GlasgowLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/504062015-11-19T19:06:07Z2015-11-19T19:06:07ZWired and tired: why parents should take technology out of their kid’s bedroom<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/102097/original/image-20151117-4967-1dt3ri4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Poor sleep can have a negative impact on a child's health and wellbeing.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Australian children are among the <a href="http://www.cci.edu.au/about/media/media-release-aussie-kids-%E2%80%98earliest-internet-users%E2%80%99">youngest users</a> of the internet in the world, starting as young as eight years old.</p>
<p>Whether they’re using mobile phones, iPads or the TV, most children and teenagers will use their devices daily to <a href="http://dice.newcastle.edu.au/">chat to their friends</a> or to access entertainment and education. </p>
<p>But when children use these devices in the evening, they can struggle to sleep, leaving them <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/mental-wealth/201103/wired-and-tired-electronics-and-sleep-disturbance-in-children">wired and tired</a>.</p>
<p>They may also have difficulties with staying asleep if these devices disturb them throughout the night. </p>
<h2>Why worry about missing a little sleep?</h2>
<p><a href="http://www.newcastle.edu.au/research-and-innovation/centre/sorti/research/sleep-and-school-life">Research</a> reveals that <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/psych.2012.33035">20-40%</a> of school-aged children are affected by inadequate sleep. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.sleepeducation.net.au/Docs/Adolescent's%20Sleep%20Facts%20Sheet.pdf">Inadequate sleep</a> can be caused by not getting enough sleep each night, or by having sleep that is broken and disturbed. </p>
<p>While the amount of sleep needed varies between individuals, <a href="http://www.sleepeducation.net.au/sleep%20facts.php">as a guide</a>, primary school children should get between 10 and 12 hours of sleep each night, dropping to 8 to 10 hours for adolescents. </p>
<p>Poor sleep can have a negative impact on a <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4142652/">child’s health and wellbeing, mood and behaviour, as well as their concentration and memory</a>. This can lead to academic, social, emotional and behavioural problems at school and home. </p>
<p>If you think that <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/health/thepulse/stories/2010/08/12/2980767.htm">your child is not getting enough</a> sleep, <a href="http://www.sleepeducation.net.au/sleep%20facts.php">look for signs</a> such as moodiness, behaviour issues, poorer health and problems with memory and attention at home or school.</p>
<p>Children who are experiencing problems at school as a result of poor sleep may become anxious. This may then make it more difficult for them to get enough sleep each night. </p>
<p>Using digital devices before bed can affect sleep in a number of ways:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>The screen brightness</strong> – the light emitted from digital screens can fool the brain into not realising it is nighttime.</li>
<li><strong>Electromagnetic radiation</strong> from the devices disrupts the release of melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate sleep.</li>
<li><strong>The excitement of the content</strong> (be it video games, television shows, or messaging friends via social media) can induce a “fight or flight” response that inhibits the onset of sleep or prevents a deep restful sleep.</li>
</ul>
<p>Over time, these may reset the child’s body clock so that it moves the sleep <a href="http://www.sleepeducation.net.au/adolescents.php">onset time to later</a> in the evening. That leads to a <a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/services/neurological_institute/sleep-disorders-center/disorders-conditions/hic-delayed-sleep-phase-syndrome">sleep deficit</a> and <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4142652/">increases the likelihood of problems</a>.</p>
<h2>Take technology out of the bedroom</h2>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/102100/original/image-20151117-4973-10f4mla.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/102100/original/image-20151117-4973-10f4mla.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/102100/original/image-20151117-4973-10f4mla.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/102100/original/image-20151117-4973-10f4mla.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/102100/original/image-20151117-4973-10f4mla.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/102100/original/image-20151117-4973-10f4mla.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/102100/original/image-20151117-4973-10f4mla.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Setting a down time for technology is good for sleep routines.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">www.shutterstock.com</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Changing the sleeping environment by <a href="https://www.kidsmatter.edu.au/families/enewsletter/screen-time-and-sleep">removing technology from the bedroom</a> sets the scene for a good night’s sleep. </p>
<p>Establishing <a href="http://www.sleephealthfoundation.org.au/fact-sheets-a-z/229-behavioural-sleep-problems-in-school-aged-children.html">healthy bedtime routines</a> and setting limits on the use of technology in the evenings can prevent the development of technology-induced sleep problems. </p>
<p>Things that can help include:</p>
<ul>
<li>No devices in the bedroom. This creates a bedroom atmosphere conducive to rest. </li>
<li>Having a consistent nighttime routine. For younger children, develop a bedtime routine that includes between half an hour to one hour of quiet activities before bed, such as the three Bs routine - bath, book, bed. This will set them up with good habits as they get older.</li>
<li>Balancing kids’ daily screen time with exercise and outdoor time helps tire them out physically to ensure deep sleep.</li>
<li>Setting a down time for their technology. Have the devices go on charge at a specified time each night, in a public spot in the house. Not only is this good for sleep routines but it ensures that the devices aren’t in the bedroom for the wee hours of the night when cyberbullying is most likely to occur.</li>
</ul>
<p>For older children, discuss the implications of the use of their devices with them. </p>
<p>Risks for pre- and early teens include <a href="http://www.ncpc.org/resources/files/pdf/bullying/cyberbullying.pdf">bullying</a>, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/06/fashion/vamping-teenagers-are-up-all-night-texting.html">device addiction</a> and impact on <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/20/us-health-mobilephone-idUSKBN0DZ1YO20140520">their brain development</a>. </p>
<p>While research on the impact of mobile devices and brain health remains inconclusive, the long-term effects of radio frequency waves and electromagnetic fields on the cognitive ability and the <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/20/us-health-mobilephone-idUSKBN0DZ1YO20140520#6FRVlcTe3M1SAFzg.97">health of adolescent brains is under investigation</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.teensafe.com/blog/is-your-teen-a-smartphone-addict/">Device addiction</a> can be an issue as teenagers depend on their technology to stay connected to their friends - often only finding time to socialise late in the night. This can be due to an often hectic daytime schedule of school, work and sporting commitments. </p>
<p>Messaging friends, and sharing on social media, is often a source of sleep problems for this age group.</p>
<p>To avoid such problems, get them to help you develop the rules for the use of their devices, with an emphasis on balance rather than prohibition. </p>
<p>Given the increased importance for this age group of technology for socialising and learning, helping them find balance will not only help with sleep but ensure that their use of technology is a positive rather than negative influence.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/50406/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kim M. Robinson receives scholarship funding from the Australian Postgraduate Award scheme and the Faculty of Education and Arts at the University of Newcastle. Also, Kim Robinson was partly supported by the Australian Research Council Linkage Project funding scheme (project number LP110100150), with the NSW Ministry of Health, NSW Department of Education, and the NSW Department of Family and Community Services representing the Linkage Project Partners.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rachel Buchanan receives grant funding from the Australian Government Department of Education and the .auDA Foundation for her research into digital footprint awareness. </span></em></p>Messaging friends on social media at night is often a source of sleep problems. Setting limits on the use of technology in the evenings can help your child get the sleep they need.Kim M. Robinson, PhD Candidate In Education, University of NewcastleRachel Buchanan, Lecturer in Education, University of NewcastleLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.