The secret to helping children sleep well

MOST mothers would love to know how to make their children sleep properly.

The key, it appears, is to get a good night’s sleep yourself.

Mothers who struggle to nod off tend to have children with the same problem, a study found. Youngsters between seven and 12 whose mums have insomnia fall asleep later, get fewer hours’ sleep and spend less time in deep sleep, according to a study of nearly 200 families.

The reason may be that children learn sleeping habits from their parents, or that mothers worried about their own sleep deprivation are more anxious about their children’s bedtimes.

‘Mother’s sleep important’

This can lead to controlling behaviour which may actually make children sleep more badly.

On the other hand, sleeplessness may simply be genetic or that family arguments are keeping children and parents awake.

Lead author Dr Sakari Lemola, from the University of Warwick, said: ‘The findings show that children’s sleep has to be considered in the family context. In particular, the mother’s sleep appears to be important for how well school-aged children sleep.’

But the phenomenon does not appear to apply to fathers, whose sleep patterns do not get passed on to their offspring.

The study, published in the journal Sleep Medicine, suggested this is because, on average, mothers still spend more time with their children.

Sleep deprivation during childhood can affect mental health, learning, memory, and school achievement.