Both parents and children need to have a peaceful night’s sleep. A large part of achieving this revolves around a child’s diet.
one mom’s experience
“People often ask me if Megan* (age three), gets a regular peaceful night’s sleep,” says her mom, Christine*.
“For many months I used to laugh and say no, she’s not a great sleeper, but she’s a great eater. After seeing a nutritional therapist, I learnt how to use Megan’s strength to play into her weakness.
“Making some dietary changes has had a remarkable effect on her sleeping patterns, and I can honestly say she now has a regular peaceful night’s sleep – sleeping through the night.”
So, perhaps, as was true for Megan, the answer to getting a peaceful night’s sleep might lie in your child’s diet. But where to begin?
diet and a peaceful night’s sleep
Even the most subtle changes to your child’s diet can make the difference between a peaceful night’s sleep and a restless one. Here are some suggestions:
Keep a food and sleep diary.
Analysing this information may help you find patterns in your child’s sleeping habits. Once you identify them, you may be able to find a solution.
Cut out overstimulating foods.
It’s best not to give children food and drinks that contain caffeine, such as hot chocolate, tea, cola and chocolate desserts. Even caffeine early in the day can disrupt your child’s sleep cycle.
Foods containing tyramine, a brain stimulant, should be avoided close to bedtime. These include tomatoes, bacon, cheese, potato, chocolate, sugar, sausages and Marmite.
Investigate healthier options.
Reduce your family’s intake of refined carbohydrates such as bread, pasta, cakes and crisps.
Complex carbohydrates, such as wholemeal pasta, oat or millet porridge, buckwheat pancakes and pulses, will help to stabilise blood sugar levels.
Low blood sugar is often the cause of the 3am wake-up due to too much glucose being taken out of the blood after a highly refined meal. This drop in the blood sugar level, following the initial high, leads to the early morning wake-up call.
Complex carbohydrates, which include fruit and vegetables, are much higher in minerals like calcium and magnesium which have calming properties.
Read food labels.
Get into the habit of examining the ingredients of the things you buy. Additives and preservatives are highly stimulatory. For example, tartrazine and MSG are both excitotoxins and will disrupt sleep.
Try an exclusion diet.
Continual waking and crying at night can be manifestations of food intolerance. Removing dairy or wheat could bring long-awaited relief within a few weeks.
Low-grade inflammation associated with wheat and dairy intolerances initiates a stimulatory process, affecting neurotransmitters involved in sleep.
Other possible clues to food intolerance can include a regular sore tummy, ear infections and a constant runny nose.
Find more tips on getting a peaceful night’s sleep here and here.
other ways to induce a peaceful night’s sleep
Creating the right environment for sleep is important, so choose the correct mattress and bedding to enable your child to be comfortable and lie still for a peaceful night’s sleep on their side, back or stomach.
A mattress must provide an adequate level of support for the spine and offer comfort. Choose organic, nontoxic hygienic materials as a mattress filler or a latex mattress. Remember, a mattress should be replaced every 8–10 years or as your child’s needs change.
To protect pillows and mattresses from allergens, encase them in protectors or slipcovers. These will also shield bedding from bedwetting, spillages, sweating, skin scales and hair and body oils. Choose woven fabrics that are tightly constructed so dust mites cannot wiggle their way through the fabric.
help them get a peaceful night’s sleep
The Sleep Foundation recommends the following:
Create a routine.
A regular bedtime routine lets your child’s body and mind know that it time to settle down and prepare for sleep.
The actual routine can be specific to your child, but it should last around 20 minutes and consist of three to four quiet, soothing activities, such as a warm bath, putting on pyjamas, brushing teeth and reading.
A sleep schedule is most useful when consistent, so try to keep the same bedtime on weekends as on school nights. Altering bedtimes during the weekend will make it more difficult for kids to maintain their normal weekday schedules.
Bedtime routines provide children with familiarity and comfort and are conducive to a peaceful night’s sleep.
Implement a screen curfew.
Mobile devices, TVs, and tablets emit a type of blue light that suppresses melatonin, a hormone that promotes sleep.
Screen time also stimulates the brain, making it harder to wind down for sleep. Electronic devices should be kept out of the bedroom and ideally not used within one hour of bedtime.
Get regular exercise.
Regular physical activity is proven to help people of all ages fall asleep faster and stay asleep.
By exercising daily, your child will enjoy a peaceful night’s sleep, just avoid vigorous activity within two hours of bedtime. Otherwise, your child may get wound up and find it harder to fall asleep.
Set the correct room temperature.
The body and brain both cool down in preparation for sleep. A peaceful night’s sleep can be derailed by a stuffy bedroom. To avoid this, keep the room temperature around 18 degrees Celsius.
Don’t sleep with a pet.
While it’s tempting for tots to snuggle Fido in bed, a pet’s movements and noises during the night can awaken them from a peaceful slumber.
Rather let your furry family member sleep outside your child’s bedroom. To make the transition easier, include saying goodnight to pets in the bedtime routine.
*Names have been changed for privacy purposes