10 Quick Tips on How to Give Your Family a Good Night’s Sleep

Does your family wake up cranky and tired each morning? Do you struggle with having enough energy to prepare breakfast and pack everyone’s lunches? Then it means that no one is getting enough sleep at night. Sometimes staying up too late at night hinders you from sleeping well. This is because the stress hormone cortisol is more active at night and without a good night’s sleep, your hormones become imbalanced.

Here are some tips on how you and your family can sleep better at night.

1. Put a Limit on Kids’ Naps

If your kids struggle to get adequate sleep, it could be because their naps are too long. Generally around age 2 many kids drop naps altogether but some still nap during the day. Have your kids take their naps for no more than 30 minutes, and be sure that the kids don’t nap too late in the afternoon.

2. Increase Your Physical Activity

When you engage in physical activity during the day, you’re more likely to be tired when the night time comes. Some good activities include cardio workouts, jogging, brisk walking, swimming and dancing. Try not to do high intensity workouts too close to bedtime.

3. Caffeine and Alcohol Should Be Avoided at Night

That cold soft drink or frozen alcoholic beverage might be refreshing, but it messes up your circadian rhythm at night. Caffeine stays in your system at least eight hours after consumption so if you want to sleep earlier at night, cut it out. You get the same effects when consuming alcohol before bedtime.

4. Create a Relaxing Environment

These days our gadgets are like our extended body parts, but this doesn’t make for the best sleep at night. Unplug your devices and turn off the bright lights in your room. Your bedroom temperature should be between 68 and 72 degrees, and meditate before going to bed.

5. Read Before Bedtime

It also helps to do something relaxing before sleeping. Reading a good book puts you in the right mood for sleeping, and if it is a somewhat tedious book, you might fall asleep quickly. You can also put on soft music while you read.

6. Create a Bedtime Routine

Instead of letting the kids set their own sleep schedule, create a consistent bedtime routine to get them in the habit of sleeping early. If the kids eat dinner around 6, they can take a bath at 6:30. Then around 7 the kids would put on their clothes at 7:30 and at 8 they can go to their rooms to relax until it is time for them to sleep.

7. Eat Light Meals

It also helps to eat light meals before bedtime because when you eat heavy meals, it disrupts your sleep hours later. You can eat your heaviest meal around early afternoon and then for dinner you can eat a light meal such as baked chicken or canned soups.

8. No Excess Screen Time for the Kiddos

Many studies have shown that too much screen time is detrimental for young kids so you should put a limit on the apps and video games at least two hours before bedtime. Give the kids some non-electronic activities that will help them relax.

9. Ditch the Loud Music

When you play loud music in your room at bedtime, it becomes harder to fall asleep. It is better to sleep against the backdrop of soft music or in a quiet room overall.

10. Don’t Discuss Stressful Issues before Bed

If there are discussions that you know could lead to arguments, you want to stay away from these before bedtime. Once you get into a heated discussion in the early evening hours, the stress just occupies most of your thinking. So instead, top up some good time conversation, calm your mind and hug your fluffy blanket to get a better sleep.

In conclusion, having the best sleep is possible with these tips. You and your family will wake up refreshed and excited to start the new day. Sleeping pills are effective but it is wise to speak with your doctor before doing so. It also helps to avoid junk food or highly greasy foods before bedtime since they are not good for your digestion while you sleep. Most importantly, great sleep means more energy the next day.