World Sleep Day: What parents can do to improve their kids’ sleep pattern

This year, the World Sleep Society is issuing a global call to action to organise sleep health awareness activities on Friday, March 17, 2023. The theme for this World Sleep Day is Sleep is Essential for Health. Just like eating well and exercising, sleep is a behaviour that is foundational to one’s physical, mental, and social well-being.

When we all promote sleep health together, our combined effort is greater than the sum of its parts. According to Dr Pallavi Bainade, a paediatrician and mother of Ved Kapil a student of Apeejay School, Nerul, it is very important for human beings to get proper uninterrupted sleep.

“Uninterrupted sleep means at least eight hours of sleep at a stretch. This is especially true for children. To make sure that kids get proper sleep, parents have to ensure that they put their kids to bed at the same time preferably by 10:30 pm daily. This sets a habit. While it is okay to sleep late on one odd weekend, it should not become a habit. Good sleep is important for a healthy body,” Dr Bainade opined.

What is insomnia?

Dr Kushal Banerjee, senior Homeopath at Dr Kalyan Banerjee’s Clinic shares that difficulty in falling asleep, staying asleep or a shortened period of sleep is known as insomnia. This is a very common condition and according to the National Institutes of Health, the US affects about 10 per cent of the adult population. About 20 per cent may have experienced symptoms of insomnia.

“The prevalence of insomnia in adolescents has been estimated to be as high as 23 per cent in some studies. There are many reasons for this. Irregular or delayed sleeping behaviour initiated by parents and caregivers during infancy can linger on to the teenage. Changes in the body’s natural circadian rhythm during growth spurts and delayed release of the hormone called melatonin in teenagers may result in late onset of sleep,” Dr Kushal said.

Why is this increasing?

In addition to the physiological processes that contribute to developing insomnia, academic stress, and social stress, Dr Kushal opined that increased use of digital devices (which can affect our circadian rhythm), lack of outdoor physical activity and the consumption of caffeine are some of the other causes for the increase in case numbers.

What are the risk factors?

“Poor quality, insufficient or delayed sleep can affect memory, recall, mood and the state of well-being in many ways. Healthy brain functioning requires regular and sufficient sleep. More and more evidence is emerging supporting the importance of sleep and the correlation between sleep and a large number of illnesses like hypertension, diabetes, thyroid disorders, anxiety neurosis, digestive issues, metabolism-related issues, hormonal issues, allergies and immune system-related diseases and many more,” Dr Kushal said.

In younger age groups, good sleep is linked to mental health and physical development. If sleep is not sufficient or of good quality, then the child’s growth may be permanently affected. 

Sleep disorders especially insomnia can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease

Sleep disorders may lead to anxiety, irritability and the inability to relax or unwind. The prolonged presence of these symptoms may result in hypertension, metabolism disorders and a host of hormonal issues.

“Poor sleep may result in unhealthy eating habits and lowered inclination to be physically active. These together or by themselves significantly increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. This may explain the spurt of young patients of heart disease seen in clinical practice today,” Dr Kushal stressed.

Is homoeopathy safe for children?

Homoeopathy is safe for patients of all age groups including infants, children and adolescents. “This is because homoeopathy takes into account the whole picture before prescribing it has a higher chance of correcting the disorder so that all medicines can be stopped once the sleep disorder has been corrected,” Dr Kushal said in conclusion.

According to some studies, the prevalence of insomnia in adolescents has been estimated to be as high as 23 per cent. Changes in the body’s natural circadian rhythm during growth spurts and delayed release of the hormone called melatonin in teenagers may result in late onset of sleep

-Dr Kushal Banerjee, senior Homeopath at Dr Kalyan Banerjee’s Clinic