Getting a good night sleep is important for both parents and children; being an important factor in our psychological well-being. Young children often try to avoid sleep which is mainly due to their natural curiosity and the thought of missing something of importance. The amount of sleep that a child needs varies and is often up to the individual. Good sleeping patterns will however help your child to get into a good routine, and enable the entire family to sleep better. (more…)

The only way to prevent acne is through having good sleep every night. This is what most mothers tell their teenaged kids, no matter what country they come from. Mothers know best, but do mothers really know correct acne prevention? How does lack of sleep cause acne?

Sleep deprivation is not a direct cause of acne–but it definitely affects acne. If you had enough sleep, your pimple may be banished because you’ll be getting all the healthy benefits of having a good rest. Because sleep is one of the important things that your body needs.

Observe that when you’re not having quality sleep, like sleeping for 5 to 6 hours only but waking up relaxed and refreshed rather than tired even after sleeping for up to 10 hours, your skin would appear blotched and reddish in spots. If you had acne, they will look inflamed. Sleep deprivation also increases resistance to insulin, which could lead to diabetes. This condition could get the inflammation of acne worse.

Another direct effect of sleep deficit is obesity. Lack of sleep causes increase on Grehlin levels, which boost appetite, and excessive production stress hormones, which regulates digestion and immune system.

All these negative conditions caused by only a few hours of sleep deficit will surely aggravate your acne. Therefore, if your body were healthy and your body chemistry happy, your skin would be clear. Teenagers should learn and acquire good sleeping habits while still young because acne is not exclusive to teenage skin. So, mothers know best, after all.

Does your baby or toddler have problems with their sleeping patterns? Do they keep you awake most nights with their tossing and turning? Most babies will keep their parents up to some extent, although it is estimated that over one-quarter of all youngsters have severe sleeping problems. If you are struggling to cope with your child’s erratic sleeping patterns, there are several tips that you can try that may help your child to get more of the much needed sleep. (more…)

As every parent knows children going through a terrifying dream during night can be inconsolable. Children usually continue with their normal sleep once the nightmare is over, unless woken up. This happens even if they make loud noises and cries for help while the dream is in progress, and even if in some cases appear to open their eyes. Usually children do not have any recollection of the dream in the morning.

Parents cannot but be deeply affected by observing their child going through terror. They feel powerless to help. What can they do?

Most often night terrors occur in children aged between three to five years, when they change from taking naps at various times during day, to a regular sleeping period. It has been theorized by psychologists, that nightmares occur when the child who has fallen into a deep sleep after a tiring day without naps, try to transition from deep sleep to light sleep while going through the sleep cycle.

What parents can do
As a start, parents can help by not overtiring the child, thus cutting the need for a prolonged period of deep sleep at the end of the day. If the child is exhausted, let him or her have a nap during the day.

Take note of the time child goes to sleep and the occurrence of the nightmares. If the child goes to sleep at the same time the nightmare is likely to occur at predictable times. Parents can waken the child half an hour or so before that time to break the child’s sleep cycle. Spend few minutes with child talking and perhaps reading a story and then let him or her go back to sleep.

Children should not be cuddled when undergoing a nightmare since this may enhance child’s feeling of being trapped. Talk to the child in a consoling soft voice and play soothing music. You can do this regardless of whether the child has fully woken up or not.

Unless child wants to talk about it on their own will, no purpose will be served by discussing the content of the dream with the child, who as stated, would in all probability, have already forgotten about it. Take steps to prevent any reference to the subject especially teasing, in the presence of the child.

With time these nightmares will pass.