﻿ Improper sleep can raise risk of mental illness in children - 4 tips to ensure your baby sleeps peacefully | Health Tips and News


Updated Feb 06, 2020 | 13:20 IST

A recent study has linked shorter sleep duration with increased risk of mental illness and behavioural issues among children. Know how much sleep does your child really need, and what you can do to help them.

Improper sleep could up risk of mental illness in children- 4 tips to ensure your little one sleeps peacefully
Improper sleep could up risk of mental illness in children- 4 tips to ensure your little one sleeps peacefully | Photo credit: Pixabay 

Key Highlights

  • Sleep duration and quality can be affected by many factors - like seasons, sense of safety, and others
  • Sleep is extremely important, as it is restorative and helps the body and mind relax
  • Here is how smaller sleep duration can affect children, and what parents can do to avoid the problem

New Delhi: If you have always experienced being cranky, angry, or just annoyed because you did not get proper sleep, you are not alone. Irrespective of age, when we are not able to sleep for the right duration or do not get a peaceful sleep, we are likely to experience mood problems and behavioural disturbances. You might feel tired, and think that is the reason you are experiencing mood problems. By that logic, children, who are always full of energy, should not experience any such troubles. 

However, a recent study has found that this behavioural change may also be experienced by children if they do not get enough sleep. In fact, they may be at an increased risk of mental health disorders, if they do not get proper sleep for long enough. The paper 'Sleep duration, brain structure, and psychiatric and cognitive problems in children' was published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry. The subject group was huge – 11,000 children, between the age of 9 to 11. measures of depression, anxiety, impulsive behaviour and poor cognitive performance in children were linked with shorter sleep durations. Depressive problems were associated with short sleep duration, one year later. 

What does this mean?

Given the schedule that children and their parents follow, and the increasing academic pressure among children, sleep patterns and schedules may get disturbed or shortened. A recent report had shown, that 1 in every 7 Indians experienced a mental health issue in 2017. As mental health problems become more prevalent in the country, it is important to pay attention to the little things, understand the causes, and look for ways to minimize the risk.

How much sleep does your child really need?

According to the Sleep Council, the UK, following is the duration of sleep that people need, at different ages.

Age Numbers of hours per day
1-12 months  14-15 
1-3 years  12-14 
3-6 years  10-12 
7-12 years  10-11 
12-18 years  8-9 
18-65 years 7-9


What can parents do?

In order to make sure that your child sleeps well, and sleeps for the right durations, here are a few tips you can follow.

Develop the right habit

It is important that you start the process right, and set the right example. Since the beginning, when your child is young and his patterns and behaviour can still be moulded, make sure you stress the importance of the right amount of sleep. Also, make sure you go to sleep at your bedtime, and do not engage in the use of your phone or television. Set a bed-time for them, and make them follow it religiously. Very soon, it will become the norm, and their body clock will make them want to go to bed at that very time.

Make meditation fun

Meditation is a way to increase mindfulness and can help in better sleep – at every age. Make meditation fun, explain it to your child, and practice it with them. This will help them sleep better, and stay asleep for the right duration. It will also help them be calm, and reduce the risk of mental health disorders.

Make sure they feel safe at night

One reason children tend to wake up in the middle of the night, and not be able to sleep again, is because they do not feel safe, or feel scared. If your child tells you that he/she feels scared at night, you can make a few changes in their room to make them feel better. Installing night lights, white or pink noise may help.

Eat healthily

The food you eat has a direct link with your sleep quality and therefore, you must eat healthily, preferably a light dinner. Food that produces gas, or makes your child uncomfortable can interfere with his/her sleep quality and duration.

Tips to help your child sleep better
