In an interaction with HT Lifestyle, Dr Mannan noted that for many parents, bedtime has quietly become one of the most difficult parts of the day.
Struggling with sleep is not an issue with adults; it has apparently started affecting children as well, according to paediatrician Dr Manish Mannan.
“A child who once slept easily may now negotiate for ‘five more minutes’ of staying up late, wake repeatedly at night or struggle to get up for school. It is easy to blame screens or assume the child is simply resisting bedtime . Often, however, the problem lies in small habits that have become part of the evening routine,” he shared. Dr Mannan pointed out that sleep is essential for memory, learning, emotional regulation, immunity and physical growth. Regularly falling short can affect concentration, behaviour, mood and daytime performance. Homework runs late, dinner gets pushed back, and television or phone time extends into the night. Parents may then allow children to sleep much later on weekends, making it harder to return to the weekday routine. “Parents should set a realistic bedtime that includes time for bathing, brushing, reading, or simply winding down, rather than treating these as activities that happen after bedtime. Dr Mannan shared five common habits that parents need to change to make their children’s sleep time regular. They are presented as follows. As per Dr Mannan, not every sleep problem is behavioural. Some symptoms can indicate an underlying sleep or medical condition and warrant evaluation by a paediatrician. They include: Persistent snoring, pauses in breathing, frequent waking, restless sleep, morning headaches or excessive daytime sleepiness
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends nine to 12 hours of sleep for children aged six to 12 years, and eight to 10 hours for teenagers.
One common mistake that parents make is allowing bedtime to become negotiable, according to Dr Mannan. “A consistent bedtime and wake-up time helps the body maintain a stable sleep rhythm,” shared the paediatrician.
