5 Tips for helping children with anxiety sleep better

Many children with anxiety have trouble sleeping. In today’s post, I wanted to write about specific things parents can do to help their young child fall asleep. Often children with anxiety or PTSD (those struggling with traumatic stress) have sleep problems.  Sometimes children with anxiety have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep.  Finally, some children have frequent nightmares that also make  nighttime hard. Here are some tips to make nighttime easier for everyone.

Set the stage for sleep

Have your child’s room cool and dark. A warm bath an hour or two before bed will also help. Drops in temperature help signal the body that its time sleep.  Helping to make sure kids are comfortable is one of the first steps in helping alleviate sleep trouble.

Remove distractions

There’s a lot of research showing that TV, video games, tablets and phones are very stimulating. It’s difficult to get kids ready to sleep when they’re amped up by an exciting cartoon, or worse, a scary movie.  Consider unplugging a few hours before bed to help kids get prepared for sleep.

Limit excitement and physical exercise

Physical exercise is great for kids, but not right before bed. Part of getting  children with anxiety ready for bed is helping them get calm enough to sleep. Additionally, soothing, nurturing activities are very helpful for kids with trouble sleeping.  Try snuggling and reading a book together or doing something else together that is calming.

Creating a night time routine to reduce anxiety

Having a night time ritual is one the single more important things parents can do to help anxious or worried children sleep. The night time ritual should be very consistent.  I tell parents that it should be a routine you can set your watch to, despite how hectic the day may have been.   Routine helps create safety and predictability, both of which help children with anxiety or nightmares relax before bed.

Lights out with a song or book

Saying good night after finishing a story time or lullaby is a wonderful way to end a night time routine that focuses on helping anxious or traumatized kids feel safe before bed. Both songs and stories can help lower the arousal in kids, which helps their brains know it’s time sleep.

In closing, making these relaxing activities part of a predictable night time ritual is very important in helping ease children into sleep. Helping children with anxiety sleep better requires lots of patience and routine.  Hopefully these 5 tips for helping children with anxiety sleep better is a good place for your family to start.

Jeff LaPonsie LMSW

Jeff LaPonsie is a clinical social worker at Kalamazoo Child and Family Counseling, PLLC. He provides counseling to children and families in the Kalamazoo, Portage, and South West Michigan area. He is passionate about helping challenging children and frustrated parents. Jeff has over seven years of experience working with at risk youth. His clinical expertise includes working with children with behavioral, anxiety, attachment and trauma related disorders.

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