As a parent, you're probably used to your children having a few sleepless nights here and there. It becomes a problem when these occasional sleepless nights turn into episodes that last for days at a time. This is known as insomnia and the cases of children with insomnia have drastically increased over the past decade.
Children who suffer from insomnia will also begin to struggle in other areas of their lives. The lack of sleep can cause them to become irritable and cranky. It can also effect their school work because they will have trouble concentrating. Fortunately, there are a variety of natural treatments that are usually very effective for treating children with insomnia.
Develop a Routine
One of the first things you should do to help your child overcome their insomnia is to develop a daily routine and stick to it. It's a proven fact that children respond much better to a highly structured life. You want to set up routine where your child is waking up at the same time every day, doing their homework at the same time every day, and going to sleep at the same time every day.
Is Your Diet Keeping You Awake?
The next thing you should focus on is your child's diet. What we eat can have a huge impact on our lives, and this is especially true for children with insomnia. If your child is having a hard time getting to sleep at night, then you need to take a close look at their diet.
The two main culprits are usually caffeine and sugar. This means you should try to eliminate soda from their diet. Or at the very least, cut out all caffeinated beverages after 3 PM. You should also try to eliminate or cut down on any sugary desserts they may be eating.
Lemon Balm
Lemon balm is an herb that can be very effective at treating insomnia in children. The fresh plants can be added to salads, or you can dry them out and make a tea from them.
Analyze Their Anxiety
Many children begin to have problems sleeping if they are nervous or anxious. These feelings of anxiety are often caused by changes in their daily routines, having too many extracurricular activities, problems at school, or even problems at home.
Children tend to be very sensitive and you should try to sit down and have a good heart-to-heart talk with them. Try to find out what's causing their anxiety and help them through it.
Turn Off the TV
In today's day and age children seem to be glued to their TV set all day and night. Try limiting the amount of time they spend in front of the TV or the computer. You should also try to get them to play outside a little more. Children that watch less TV and are more physically active tend to sleep better.
Milk Anyone?
I'm sure you've heard of mothers giving their children warm milk before they go to bed to help them sleep better. This is an old home remedy that has survived generations because it works. Try giving your child a cup of warm whole milk 20 to 30 min. before they go to bed.
Try these natural treatments for insomnia and both you and your child will be sleeping better at night.
James Hilton is an author and a natural health enthusiast. He also owns a website called Alluring Health that shows people how living a natural and healthy life can change their lives.
Jeff says
Diet can be a huge factor in getting a good nights sleep or not – when my wife and I eleminated sugar and caffeine from our kids diets (after lunch time to start) – we saw a change in their sleep patterns within the first week.
Good to know i’m not the only one who found this obvious :-)
jeff