A sleep expert has revealed that giving kids one snack before bed can help them to fall asleep faster as lots of children find it hard to wind down at bedtime, especially when enjoying a fun activity
For parents, getting kids to go to bed, fall asleep, and stay in bed can be a real challenge, with bedtime conflicts turning into a nightmare.
Lots of kids find it hard to wind down at bedtime, especially when they’re enjoying doing a fun activity and don’t want to have to stop to go to sleep. Or when they’re feeling overtired and agitated and find it tough to settle. The problem is that sleep is vital for children, as it aids healthy development, and helps to ensure that they’re able to perform properly at school.
Luckily, sleep expert Martin Seeley from MattressNextDay has a hack that can turn getting kids off to sleep more easily into a total cinch. According to Martin there’s one food that every kid should have before bedtime – oat biscuits.
He explains:”What your child eats close to bedtime can also contribute to whether they have a good or bad night’s sleep. Foods such as oat biscuits, bananas and milk contain an amino acid called tryptophan. This makes them feel drowsy and, therefore, more likely to fall asleep.”
He added that foods that are rich in tryptophan help to make kids feel sleepy, which is why giving them foods with tryptophan around an hour before bedtime can help to make getting them off to bed easier. A mug of warm milk can be a great option, along with some oat biscuits or a banana.
When it comes to enforcing a bedtime for kids, he explains”It’s tricky, but try to be firm and let them know that once they are in bed, they must stay in bed.” He also suggests that if they get out of bed it’s best to not ‘react’ and instead to just ‘walk them back to bed without saying anything’, as this will help to make them understand that once they’re in bed, they need to stay there until the morning.
He also recommends that all electronic devices, such as tablets, need to be put away at least two hours before bedtime. Martin added:”This one can be very difficult, especially if giving your child their device is something you do regularly to keep them occupied. However, the blue light emitted on tablets and phones can trick their mind into thinking that it’s daytime, despite it being dark outside.”
