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10 Tips on How Teens Can Get A Better Nights Sleep

The trick to a good night’s sleep when you have children is to get your kids to sleep and stay asleep without your help. There are a few things you can do to get your kids in bed and staying in bed so that you are able to get the sleep you crave and deserve.

If you don’t have a bedtime routine already, now is the time to start one with your kids no matter how young or old they may be. You can start with a relaxing book about thirty minutes before bedtime. Add cuddle time if you like or a given amount of time for some music. Make sure the activities are relaxing and are the same every night. The routine will help your child understand when bedtime is approaching and what needs to be done.

This bedtime routine should be done at about the same time every night. Because of this you will want to establish a set bedtime as another good trick to a good night’s sleep when you have children. The set bedtime will help you start the bedtime routine at the right time. The set bedtime will also ready your child’s biological clock for the night and hopefully many more nights to come.

Another good trick to a good night’s sleep when you have children is to have a healthy and sleep inducing night time snack. You will want to keep the snack light for better digestion and keep the snack free of chocolate which has too much sugar. Some good snacks for your children can include ½ cup of low-fat vanilla pudding, ½ a banana with 1 or 2 teaspoons of peanut butter or one cup of skim milk with a few grapes. All these foods produce a hormone that induces sleeping and are easily digested. Let your children have the snack thirty minutes to an hour before bedtime. You can also use food for your teenager who may be having a hard time falling asleep. Some snacks you can give your teenager include one cup of healthy cereal with skim milk, a low-fat granola bar or a scoop of vanilla or strawberry low-fat ice cream.

For younger kids who are still struggling with getting to sleep and staying asleep you can use a reward system as a trick to a good night’s sleep for everyone. Have your children decorate a jar or box any way they choose. Fill the box or jar with slips of paper on which you and your children have written every good dream you can think of. Every night allow your children to draw out one slip of paper to start them off in dream world.

You can also use a sleep fairy as a trick to a good night’s sleep when you have children. Let your children know that the sleep fairy will come visit them if they sleep through the night and may even leave a present. This is a great trick for kids older than three who have some understanding of rewards. The presents can be anything from a sheet of stickers to a toy they have been wanting for awhile. As your children get better at sleeping through the night the sleep fairy can leave congratulation notes instead of presents to save on your wallet.

Having a set bedtime and routine is the best trick to a good night’s sleep when you have children. The set bedtime and regular routine will allow for your child to receive the cues that make bedtime familiar. You can use reward systems and food to get your child to sleep so that you too can get a better night’s sleep.

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This post was written by: Erin