Emerging evidence demonstrates how poor quality sleep – caused by interrupted sleep during the night – can be associated with challenging behaviours, mood swings, poor attention, and lower school performance. Subjects such as English and Maths require greater use of the brain’s functions such as memory, planning, and sustained focus. The part of the brain that supports these functions is sensitive to the impact of insufficient sleep. Be inspired with Sealy South Africa.
There are also links between poor sleep patterns and a range of childhood problems, from depression to obesity.
SLEEP TIPS FOR CHILDREN
The National Sleep Foundation recommends that children aged five to 12 get 10 to 11 hours of sleep a night. Teenagers need about nine hours. If your child consistently gets less than the recommended hours of sleep and/or often wakes up during the night, it might be important to re-evaluate sleep routines, bedtimes, and the sleep environment.
SLEEP TIPS FOR BABIES
There’s a reason newborn babies tend to sleep throughout the day. Their brains are developing, and they are constantly learning new things, and sleep is vital when it comes to their growth. When your baby wakes up too soon after going to sleep, they might be hungry or need their nappy changed. Calmly and quietly try to fix the problem and soothe your baby back to sleep.
A baby’s sleep environment is also important. Your baby’s cot mattress should be firm, not soft. Test it out by pushing your hand into the mattress, and if it takes a long time for the mattress to return to its original shape, it’s too soft. The mattress should snap back to its original shape quickly. A mattress that is too soft is a suffocation hazard. Additionally, firm mattresses give babies the skeletal support they need as they grow.
Sealy cot mattresses are specially designed to give babies the support they need as they grow. We use only top quality, natural, non-allergenic materials, with an aloe vera fabric covering that allows the breathability of the mattress. In terms of durability, the fabric is washable with mild soap and a cloth.
SLEEP TIPS FOR TODDLERS
Sleep during this stage of your child’s life could be challenging as they experience separation anxiety, and also adjust to moving to a new, bigger bed. Your toddler is also starting to assert some independence and will try different stalling techniques to delay bedtime. Be patient and firm and allow your child to make some decisions – like which pyjamas to wear or which bedtime story to read.
Take the size of your toddler’s bed into consideration. A novelty car-shaped bed is cute but considering how quickly children grow it’s often more economical to transition directly to a single, three-quarter, or double-sized bed.
Mattresses made with a breathable, easy-to-clean fabric ensure good air circulation, keeping the body temperature well-regulated. This will help encourage deep sleep cycles that are necessary for better health and development.
Even if your child is toilet-trained, accidents may happen overnight, so the mattress you choose should be made with an easy-to-clean fabric. For added protection, cover the bed with a waterproof mattress protector. Sealy Posturepedic mattress protectors are manufactured with a fully elasticised 4-way stretch skirt, ensuring a secure fit to protect your mattress and prolong the life of your investment in your child’s sleep.
SLEEP TIPS FOR SCHOOL KIDS
After a full day of activity, children need sufficient rest at night so they can start the new day well-rested. If you haven’t already, now is the time to introduce good sleep habits that include a consistent bedtime and wake-up time, and a winding down period before bed.
The best mattress for your child will not only be the one with the best support, but it should also cushion their developing bodies and provide a soothing level of comfort to help with relaxation. As well as keeping the spine and bones aligned (an especially important thing to bear in mind concerning your child’s growth), supportive mattresses will reduce rolling and fidgeting, allowing your child to sleep more soundly.
The Sealy Singles range of mattresses are orthopedically developed with exclusive Posturepedic Technology
, an interconnected spring system topped with foam and comfort layers, that will support your child’s ideal sleeping posture. Sealy Posturepedic Technology targets
SLEEP TIPS FOR TEENAGERS
It’s important for parents to play an active role during these formative years. Remember teenagers have a later circadian rhythm, which means they naturally want to stay up later and sleep later – this could be challenging to manage with a school schedule. Work with your teen to figure out a healthy sleep schedule. Setting ground rules and limiting certain activities may help manage this potentially difficult situation.
While it’s tempting to pass on your old mattress to your young teenager, it’s advisable to invest in a mattress that will support them as they grow, encouraging the best possible sleep. Old mattresses not only disturb your child’s sleep because of poor comfort levels but can also seriously affect their health. Mattresses are sponges that absorb sweat, saliva, body oils, and other body fluids making your child’s bed a playground for bacteria and germs. More precisely, used mattresses can house millions of microscopic bugs.
These dust mites may cause runny noses, sneezing, watery eyes, itchiness, coughing, and difficulty breathing. Therefore, used mattresses often cause or aggravate asthma, allergies, and illnesses that could contribute to poor-quality sleep. Combined with late-night activities such as before-bed screen time, this can have an important negative effect on your teen’s quality of sleep and consequently their behaviour and academic performance during the day.
INVEST IN YOUR CHILD’S SLEEP
There is a mistaken belief that children’s young bodies don’t need the very best in-bed technology, but this could not be further from the truth. Children need supportive beds and mattresses even more than adults do because as they grow their overall quality of health and happiness relies on how well they sleep.
Contact: Sealy South Africa.
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