Kids and Sleep: How to Balance the Two
By Genevieve Cunningham
Kids are great. They're so fun and certainly bring a lot of love into the picture. But you know what else is great? Sleep. And if you have kids, you're probably not getting much of the latter. While this is definitely a small (and usually temporary) price to pay for your children, it's really good for our overall health if we can somehow learn to balance kids and sleep so that everyone is getting enough. If you're suffering through the long and sleepless nights with little kids, take a look at these tips to help you and your family get a little more sleep and better health too.
Set Routines for Everyone
Routines are key for everyone -- both children and adults. Kids sleep better when they go through the same motions every night. Perhaps they have a bath, get pajamas, brush their teeth, and read a bedtime story. This allows them to wind down in the same way, and over time, it creates a sense of safety and security. But what surprises many is that this still works for adults too. Get your kids to sleep and then do your own bedtime routine. It will take some time to get the routines down, but the lasting effects will be more than worth your efforts.
Set Priorities
In order to get more sleep, you have to get home at a decent hour. You might have to say no to a late night get-together. You may have to say no to extra work. You may have to say no to another extra-curricular activity for your kids. Set priorities however you need in order to find the sleep that you need. You may have a hard time with this in the beginning, but the more boundaries you set, the easier and more necessary it will get.
Stay Active
Everyone sleeps better if you've actually used your body. And this goes for both children and adults. Movement tires the body. It burns energy and allows the mind to release stress. If you're sitting behind a desk at work all day and not getting any exercise, sleep will be hard. If your kids are sitting behind a desk at school all day and not getting much movement, sleep will be hard. Get up and get everyone moving, and you may just find that sleep takes a turn for the better.
Kids and sleep are a difficult combination. Sometimes kids just won't let us rest. But going without adequate rest is bad for everyone's health! Use these tips to improve the sleep of everyone in your home, and boost your family's health in no time at all.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Monterey Park, Calif.