Sleep is a vital sign of the body. It is so much more than just resting to have energy for the next day. Many chemical processes happen in the body from the cleaning and organizing of the brain, preparing the immune system to protect the whole body from pathogens, right down to having a healthy digestive system and so much more. No organ or body system can function optimally without good sleep. Cherish and encourage healthy sleep. It’s vital to good health.
Pages and pages of information exist on how to help babies and children to sleep better. Many questions from ‘what mattress is best to sleep on, or which position is better? How much sleep is normal? Should a baby use a pacifier or bottle to fall asleep with?’ The list is endless. A good place to start should you require professional help is to speak to your homeopathic doctor or pediatrician, midwife and/or to contact a Sleep Training consultant. This article is to see how nature can help your baby or young child to sleep better.
Before reaching for a remedy to help, be mindful of the following bedtime-sleep-routine:
- Is the child well? Illness and pain will cause disturbed sleep.
- Is the room quiet and dark? Light and loud noise will negatively affect sleep. This includes pilot lights of devices too. Should the child feel safer falling asleep with a soft light, keep it on, but once asleep, switch the light off. The brain detects light, and this gives a signal to say ‘wake up!’. Natural light is allowed. Soft white noise or background home noises are fine, and no child or baby should only be able to sleep in absolute silence.
- Never have Wi-Fi on in the child’s room. This disturbs sleep. This includes the Wi-Fi device for the home. Ideally the Wi-Fi should be switched off at night.
- Is the room temperature comfortable? Not too warm and not too cold?
- Is the bedding clean? There is something wonderful about climbing into a comfortable clean bed, even for little ones.
- Read to your child before bedtime. It’s a wonderful way of slipping off to dreamland. When your child is older, they should be in love with books and read themselves to sleep with their own book. Real books, not devices. The light of the device affects sleep and hinders the brain from switching to sleep mode.
- Keep the bed the place of sleep and rest and not the place of playing or doing schoolwork for older children as this affects how the brain sees the bed. A table and chair are for studying and the bed for sleeping.
- Did your child have a healthy meal before bedtime? Hungry tummies can’t sleep well too.
- Encourage the child to drink enough water throughout the day as a well hydrated body also sleeps better. The brain is the hungriest organ of the body and requires many nutrients to be well but also requires water to function optimally. Not juice, tea, hot chocolate, and cold drinks. Water is best.
- Having a warm and relaxing bath before bedtime also further soothes the senses and tells the brain that sleep is near. Use lavender oil to calm the nerves. Do not dress the child too warm as a hot bed and warm pajamas can cause disturbed sleep too.
- A safe home filled with love is the perfect place for children to grow up in.
Nature can then further give a helping hand –
A.Vogel Nervousness Insomnia Formula is a gentle and effective homeopathic remedy to help babies and children sleep better. Give the product as indicated on the label. Add it to a little warm water before giving to young children. A difference can be noted within a few days. Some parents tell us on day 4 their baby slept better, and a normal sleeping pattern was formed. Once the child is in a normal sleep pattern, you stop the remedy. It needs only be used for as long as required.
Another homeopathic remedy is Pegasus Sleep pillules. Perfectly formulated to help young and old to sleep better. Follow the directions on the label.
For children and babies that have nightmares or night terrors, the Pegasus Trauma Rescue Shock remedy is an absolute must. Give it three times per day for 5 days and then again only if required.
A herbal remedy to give to older children is A.Vogel Dormeasan. This remedy specifically helps for sleep disturbances caused by stress and anxiety. The ingredients support the nervous system by having a calming action and addressing symptoms such as restlessness and anxiety, and when taken at bedtime, promote restful sleep. It does not leave a person feeling groggy the next day and is non-habit forming.
Does this sound like your child?
“Mom, my eyes won’t close. I can’t fall asleep!” said a 7-year-old girl one night out of the blue. As if the brain just stopped knowing how to switch to sleep mode. This continued for a few nights where a parent needed to sit with her bringing comfort to help her fall asleep until eventually her eyes would close, and sleep would come. The mom reached out to us asking for advice and yes, A.Vogel Nervousness Insomnia Formula with A.Vogel Dormeasan soon helped this girl to fall asleep and stay asleep. Nature in its bounty can help.
Listen to the sleep podcast here: Sleep | Read the article here: The perfect formula for a good night’s rest