New Study: Children Sleep Better With Routines

A new study is reinforcing the idea that a bedtime routine is the best way to get your child to sleep better.

The huge multinational study, conducted by St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, involved around 10,000 mothers in 14 different countries. The researchers found out that mothers who implemented bedtime routines reported their children had fewer behavioral problems during the day, were less likely to wake up in the middle of the night, and slept longer for about an average of one hour.

Many parents swear by routines, and some adults even have found they benefit from them, but surprisingly, this study found that only 50% of the participating parents have instituted one.

Here are some tips on starting a bedtime routine for your family, which come from a SleepBetter article comparing these routines to the movie “Groundhog Day”:

• As bedtime approaches, wrap-up the day’s chores with some simple tasks for your children, such as picking up toys from their rooms and brushing their teeth. Don’t launch any tasks that involve strenuous physical effort or heavy mental activity.
• Bedtime stories are great for adults, too. Read a chapter of a book, chat quietly with a family member or meditate for a few minutes.
• Try to get to sleep at the same time each night and awaken the same time in the morning, even on weekends. Established daily rhythms can be a calming physical signal, especially at the end of the day.

The St. Joseph’s study was published in the journal Sleep.

Source: Daily Mail