Sleep. We need it, we want it, and we never get enough!

How is your sleeping? Sleeping is one of the most important factors in keeping a healthy mental and physical health. How many hours do your kids need of sleep? Toddlers (1-2years old) need around 11-14 hours although 15-16 hours may be appropriate.

Preschoolers (3-5years old) need around 10-13 hours and school aged children 6-13 years old need around 9-11 hours of sleep.

Teenagers should be getting 8-10 hours while adults need around 7-9 hours of sleep to fully function.

Here are a few tips to help maintain accurate hours of sleep.

1. Stop all blue light screen devices at least an hour in a half before bedtime. The blue light that are built into computers and laptops disrupt our natural melatonin and creates sleeplessness. A great program to download to your computer is called lux. It is a great tool to use to shield the blue light by adding a yellow display that prevents eye strain and disrupts sleep pattern. The color changes throughout the day so you never have to turn it on or off.
2. Use melatonin to help regulate and maintain sleep. Melatonin is our sleep chemical that helps regulate your sleep/wake cycles. Start off with a low dosage and slowly increase if you still aren’t getting a sound sleep. Melatonin gummies or liquid is a great alternative to use instead of swallow tablets for kids. Try a dosage of 1mg with kids and 3mg for adults.
3. Use Essential oil. It’s a natural remedy to help calm your mind and body down. Using a sleep blend is a great way to calm and help perform a sold night of rest. I recommend using Peaceful Sleep oil blend

Changing your sleep routine and increasing your amount of sleep will not only help your child function more adequately but it will improve in their mood as well.