According to the National Sleep Foundation’s Sleep in America poll, no age group from newborns to age 10 gets as much sleep, on average, as experts recommend (2004 poll); only 20% of adolescents get the recommended 9 hours of sleep on school nights, and nearly one-half (45%) sleep less than 8 hours on school nights. New research and recommendations provide parents with both long-term and short-term strategies to help children sleep better and be happier. Physicians can help by spreading the word.

Let’s start with the long-term—or ongoing—strategies. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has found, following a review of 52 studies, that behavioral strategies can help children learn to fall asleep and stay asleep. The strategies include teaching children how to “self-soothe” themselves back to sleep when they wake at night and creating quiet bedtime rituals that children enjoy.

After reviewing the studies, a panel found that 80% of children who received sleep training showed significant improvements in their bedtime behavior. According to the study’s lead author, Jodi A. Mindell, PhD, of St. Joseph’s University, that’s pretty strong evidence that sleep training works on children. The new study appeared in the October 1 issue of the journal SLEEP.

Sleep issues with children vary with age. Anyone who has ever tried to put a two-year-old to bed knows the meaning of the word “frustrating.” Mindell says that with young children, “bedtime refusal” is often the problem, and they will use a range of behaviors—like crying, clinging, or asking for food—to stall the process. With babies, the issue is that they will wake frequently at night well past the first few months of life and need to be resettled. Additional recent studies show that for adolescents and teens, the issue is often an overload of media—like cell phones, television, and computer games—before bedtime or while trying to fall asleep.

So what can parents do? Mindell’s team found that a technique called “extinction” had particularly strong evidence to back it up. In its strictest form, extinction has parents putting their children to bed at a specific time each night, then ignoring their crying and tantrums until a set time in the morning. A variation is “controlled crying” where parents gradually let their child’s crying go on for increasingly longer stretches before checking in on them. When they do check, the visit should be uneventful with no lights, and no playing.

Most significant, according to Mindell, is the team’s findings that preventative measures such as educating new parents on how to instill good bedtime habits were highly effective. She believes it is possible for parents to prevent problems before a pattern develops. She recommends that expectant parents ask their doctors about ways to form healthy sleep habits early on and also suggests parents read books on the subject. Finally, Mindell says parents must dismiss the notion that it is “selfish” for them to want the bedtime process to go smoothly. After all, a good night’s sleep is what is best for both children and parents.

Strategies to Help Parents Cope With End of Daylight Saving Time and Halloween Excitement

Next week could prove a real horror for some moms and dads across the nation. This year, Halloween falls a mere two days after the end of daylight saving time, when sleep-wake cycles can be affected by the one-hour shift. Add to that the excitement of Halloween which falls on a school night, and bedtime sounds like a pretty scary scene.

Fortunately, the National Sleep Foundation has created a list of tried and true tips designed to keep families on track during this tricky time. “Sleep is essential for children and adolescents, helping them be at their best, whether in school, while playing sports, or just out having fun trick-or-treating. Parents need to ensure that their kids get the sleep they need, especially during this transition,” said Mindell.

For starters, the NSF says parents should get an early start on Halloween by beginning the trick-or-treating in the afternoon and aiming to finish in time for a normal bedtime. Go easy on the candy, allowing kids enough to enjoy, but limit caffeine intake prior to bed. Keep kids comfortable and eliminate anxiety. For example, do not decorate a younger child’s room with potentially frightening images of ghosts, witches and the like. Allow enough wind down time and follow normal sleep habits such as a bath or reading before bedtime to help your child settle down to sleep after an exciting day.

In addition, remember that kids will be extra tired after the time change. The NSF offers a tip for adjusting to standard time: Alter bed times slightly over several days rather than make the change all at once. Have children stay up approximately 15 minutes past their normal bedtime each day starting on the Thursday night before standard daylight time begins.

With guidance and support, parents can help kids overcome negative habits and establish positive sleep patterns that will serve them well for a lifetime.

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