By Schuyler Corrigan

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January 23, 2023

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If you’re feeling tired of feeling tired from being woken up at night, you’re certainly not alone. We see a large number of parents whose young children wake them in the middle of the night, a habit that sometimes goes on for years at a time. Often children will wake up their parents at night after a band dream, or from night fears and want to either get in bed with them, or have the parent get up and put them back to bed. Either way, this is extremely disruptive to the parents’ sound sleep, and over time can prove difficult to get back into a restful sleep rhythm. 

 

This is a tricky sleep situation because – at least for parents – taking something to sleep through the night is not solving the problem when you’re actively being woken up in the middle of the night. However for children, getting to the bottom of why they’re waking up is often where our naturopathics doctors will start. They can provide support for both parents and children with the end goal of helping everyone get the best night’s sleep possible. 

 

Read More: Nutrition Tips for Optimal Sleep

Sleep Support for Children & Parents 

No two children are alike, and what may work for one child may not be quite right for another. Here are some considerations to explore for yourself and your children, and can be further discussed with one of our NDs to better tailor these approaches for your sleep needs:

 

1. Nutrition before bedtime – When we consume our largest meal at night, this can not only be energizing, but strenuous for our body to digest while we’re trying to sleep. Also, consuming sugar or alcohol can easily disrupt our blood sugar balance – a strong influencer on how well our body can fall asleep and stay asleep. Children especially can be susceptible to sugar highs at night. Thus, try to consume smaller portions at dinner time, or consume dinner at least 3 hours before bedtime. Avoid sugary desserts and beverages to avoid blood sugar spikes in the middle of the night. 

 

1. Screen time – The trouble here can be two fold: 1) Blue light and screen strobing can affect our internal clock (also known as circadian rhythm), and disrupt our ability to fall asleep. 2) Children are highly sensitive beings. What they’re watching in the evenings before bedtime may be affecting their stress levels or impacting their dreams causing night terrors or nightmares. Instead, listening to a story or drawing / coloring / dream journaling in the evenings is a more calming and creative way to ease into restful sleep. 

 

Read More: Harvard Health: The Effects of Blue Light 

 

1. Herbs for sleep support – Herbal support can be a useful addition to evening routines to support our stress response before bed time and to help us nod off naturally. There are several good herbs for sleep support, and your ND can provide the most appropriate one for you or your child. Herbs traditionally used for calming sleep include lemon balm, chamomile, linden and passionflower. 

 

1. Homeopathics – your naturopathic doctor may have guidance on incorporating homeopathics for yourself and your child to support sleep cycles and behaviors around sleep. Talk with your ND about these options and if they think this could be a useful addition to your care plan. 

 

If you and/or your child is struggling with sleeping throughout the night, consider making an appointment with one of our naturopathic doctors to create a tailored plan just for you.