How to Reduce Bedtime Anxiety in Children

Does Your Child Have Sleep Anxiety?

Anxiety related to sleep is very common, and may incorporate fears of intruders, monsters, unexplained sounds, and darkness.

Why do so many of those youngsters show sleep anxiety? And why are some parents out of contact?

The answer lies in solitary sleeping. In most places around the world, small children sleep with other people. But in some Western countries, youngsters are expected to sleep by themselves.

Addressing your little one’s night-time fears might make him get more sleep. Youngsters suffering from anxiety may have bedtime problems and regular night awakenings. To deal effectively with anxiety, a child needs a developed sense of time, the capability to control emotional impulses, the capability to distinguish appearances from fact and the capacity to trust rational conclusions over deceptive sensory experiences.

Most children don’t develop these capacities until they’re 5-6 years old, the time when the frontal lobes start to mature. The brain’s frontal lobes allow us to reason, find remedy, and plan ahead. Additionally they support us in making decisions on what to do in certain situations.

If you happen to suspect that your youngster may suffer from too much bedtime anxiety, consult your doctor. It’s foremost to rule out other stipulations that would be inflicting your child’s symptoms–conditions like night-time seizures, panic attacks, or stress. Furthermore, it’s important to assess if your child’s anxiety is associated with snoring or different forms of sleep-disordered respiration (SDB). SDB may also be damaging, however it is treatable.

But whether or no longer your little one suffers from breathing problems, there are different important steps you could take to treat  and possibly prevent  anxiety during bedtime.

How To Prevent Bedtime Anxiety

• Be certain your child is getting enough sleep.
• Determine and treat your child’s anxieties.
• Limit late night recreational activities such as watching TV or playing computer games
• Make your baby’s sleep environment as conducive for sleeping as possible. Eliminate heavy and sharp objects from the bedroom
• Talk to kids concerning the difference between myth and fact, and prove to them that there is no monster in the closet.
• Bear in mind the sources of daily stress. Children who suffer from daytime anxieties about school, separation from parents, or different concerns usually tend to fear the dark and fear sleeping on their own. You should cut off stress from your child’s life to deal with anxiety.
• Combat fear with the power of touch. Bodily affection switches off separation anxiousness
• Offer your youngster the comfort of a smooth toy animal or doll.
• Be a model of calm, positive habits. When your child comes to you in a nervous state, be warm, sensitive and responsive. Inform him that you know that he is scared, and that a normal person gets scared sometimes. However don’t let sympathy change into over protectiveness.
• Teach your child how to relax. For illustration, you may soothe a crying baby, or teach him breathing exercises.
• Counteract horrifying thoughts with portraits of happiness, defense, and bravado. When he’s fearful, aid your little one in being a harbinger of happiness and optimism.

To know more about medical diagnosis and prevention methods, feel free to browse our other articles on this site.