Some kids may have difficulty sleeping at night, even when they are already tired from daytime activities. This might have confused parents, so they are trying to figure out why kids have trouble sleeping.
Generally, the ideal sleep time for kids is longer than for adults, typically around 10–13 hours, to support their optimal growth and development.
If a kid struggles to sleep, even as it gets close to midnight, it could be caused by several factors, such as an unconducive sleep environment or specific health issues.
For more details on the causes of kids’ sleep difficulties, check out the article below!
Why Do Kids Have Trouble Sleeping?
There are various reasons why children have trouble sleeping, from simple things like doing too many activities right before bedtime to more serious health issues, such as breathing disorders. Here is a detailed explanation:
1. Unconducive Sleep Environment
The first reason why kids have trouble sleeping and feel restless is an uncondusive sleep environment caused by several factors such as noise from vehicles, pets, or family members outside the room.
Solution:
To address this, design the child's room at the back of the house, away from the front.
If this is not possible, parents can guide the child to use appropriately sized ear muffs to reduce noisy sounds while sleeping.
2. Doing Too Many Activities Just Before Bedtime
The next cause of children having trouble sleeping is engaging in too many activities right before bed, such as playing with gadgets or watching TV, immediately before going to sleep.
This can stimulate the child, making it difficult for them to calm down and fall asleep.
Solution:
To address this, parents can keep gadgets away from the child's bedroom. You can also try reading a story or playing a soothing game to help before falling asleep.
3. Consume Sugar or Caffeine
Kids tend to be more sensitive to caffeine and sugar. Consuming foods and drinks high in caffeine and sugar can make them more active, which may lead to difficulty sleeping at night.
This is because caffeine can stimulate brain activity, which makes kids stay awake; meanwhile, foods or drinks high in sugar can cause blood sugar levels to spike quickly, affecting a child's energy and sleep quality.
Solution:
Avoid giving children foods and drinks that are high in caffeine or sugar for several hours before bedtime. Examples of foods and drinks to avoid include soda, tea, coffee, crackers, and other snacks.
4. Irregular Sleep Schedule
Typically, children benefit from a routine that helps them become accustomed to performing activities in a disciplined manner, including maintaining a consistent sleep schedule. If a child rests at the same time every night, they will feel comfortable, safe, and ready to sleep soundly.
However, if a child sleeps at different times each day, it can disrupt their natural sleep rhythm. As a result, the child often finds it difficult to sleep on certain days.
Solution:
Establish a routine bedtime for your child every night. For example, take your child to the bedroom and have them lie in bed at 9 PM.
To support this, parents can also turn off the room lights or use dimmer night lights once the child is already in bed.
5. Influenced by Parents' Sleep Habits
Children often have the habit of imitating things done by the adults around them, including sleep habits.
If parents have poor sleep habits, such as staying up late until midnight, children may perceive this as usual and adopt their parents' sleep patterns.
If allowed to continue for a long time, this habit can make it difficult for children to sleep later on.
Solution:
As parents, start practicing good habits in front of your children, including going to a regular schedule
Read also: 10 Examples of Good Habits at Home for Your Families
6. Certain Health Problems
Specific health problems can cause the little one to have trouble sleeping at night, which can make them feel uncomfortable and unrested. Some of these health issues include:
- Digestive disorders in children, such as diarrhea. This condition can cause symptoms like stomach pain, making the child feel uncomfortable.
- Infections, such as the flu, sore throat, or ear infections.
- Respiratory issues, such as colds, allergies, or sleep issues. Specific injuries, such as sprains or broken bones.
Solution:
If these health problems are still mild, parents can first try home care to address them. For example, parents can give oral rehydration solutions (oralit) to help relieve symptoms when the child has diarrhea.
Additionally, parents can encourage the child to drink plenty of water to help relieve digestive issues.
Speaking of water intake for little ones, mothers can choose AQUA as the family drinking water option at home.
AQUA can be a safe choice to help meet the drinking water needs for children because it is 100% SAFE from physical contaminants and pathogens.
Additionally, it is safe, 100% free from chemical contaminants, and pure, ensuring it is entirely safe to consume. It is no wonder that this also gives AQUA a refreshing sensation when drunk, even without being chilled first in a cooler.
Meanwhile, if symptoms are pretty severe or persist for an extended period, it is recommended to visit a doctor immediately to receive the proper treatment.
7. Psychological Issues
The last but equally important cause of kids having difficulty sleeping is psychological issues. They can cause restlessness and make it difficult for kids to relax when trying to sleep.
Some examples of psychological issues in children that can cause difficulty sleeping are as follows:
- Stress.
- Anxiety disorders.
- Depression.
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
- Nightmares/night terrors are conditions where children often experience bad dreams that frighten them and cause them to wake up frequently at night.
- Certain sleep disorders, such as insomnia, sleepwalking, and so on.
Solution:
If a child has difficulty sleeping due to psychological issues, it is advisable to consult a professional, such as a psychologist or psychiatrist, to receive proper treatment.
So, those are the various factors that contribute to why kids have trouble sleeping, along with some tips on how to overcome them. Essentially, every parent must ensure that their children get enough rest to optimize their growth and development.
Besides sleep, don’t forget that a child’s growth is also closely related to daily food and drink intake.
Ensure that children receive nutritious and high-quality food and drinks to meet their nutritional needs and support their body development.
In this regard, mothers can prepare AQUA Gallons to help meet the family’s drinking water needs at home. Why choose AQUA DULU? Because not all water is AQUA.
AQUA Gallon comes in a large size of 19 liters, which is enough to meet the family's daily drinking water needs at home.
No need to worry, the cleanliness of AQUA gallons is also well-maintained because they undergo a sanitation process up to 20 times using high-pressure water before being refilled. The price is also quite affordable, starting from around IDR 1,000 per liter!
AQUA is an Indonesian product that is halal and complies with BPOM & SNI standards, so its safety is certainly better ensured.
Since it is a refillable gallon, this AQUA Gallon can be used multiple times and is also more environmentally friendly!
So, don’t hesitate to use AQUA Gallon at home! Because AQUA is 100% Pure, 100% Indonesian, and 100% Halal.
Read also: 10 Factors That Influence Child Growth and Development, Check Out!
