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What do I do about it?

Young children benefit from a consistent, regular bedtime routine. Those who have one tend to be able to settle down to sleep more easily than those who don’t. This is especially important during term-time when your child needs to be able to concentrate during the day. This might simply consist of a short routine involving perhaps a bath, hot drink and story with lights off at a set time every night.

If your child wakes and calls out at night, go in and reassure him that you are there but keep contact to a minimum. If he is afraid of something, don’t talk about the specific - just reassure your child that he is safe in his room and you are nearby. During the day, reflective listening can be helpful. In other words you could say to your child: ’I know you find it hard to go to bed at night’ and encourage him to express any concerns. Talking things through should help your child realise that nothing’s going to happen at night. If he is anxious about something, you could give him a way of dealing with his fears. For instance if he feels worried, encourage him to imagine a calm scene such as lying on a beach.

Sometimes a reward chart can help. Offer your child a sticker to put on a chart or poster plus lots of praise for every night he does not get out of bed or call out during the night. Your child can then see his success in concrete terms.

As children get older, insisting on a strict bedtime can become more difficult but a routine continues to be important as it helps children learn to regulate their own sleep patterns. Try to set bedtime at a time when you recognise that your child is ready for sleep - this can vary with different children and different ages. If you insist your child goes to bed when they’re not tired, you’re more likely to face a struggle and the process can become very drawn out.

Many parents relax the rules during holidays. Occasional late nights won’t affect children too much. If it happens too often though, they may find their sleep patterns are disrupted so it’s best to keep these as occasional treats.

Teenagers should be able to regulate their own sleep needs but as their ‘internal clock’ shifts, many find it hard to get to sleep at night and very difficult to get up for school or college in the mornings. If your teenager is having trouble getting up in the morning, there are things you can try to bring their ‘internal clock’ forward. Sleep experts say dimming the lights at night and getting lots of daylight in the morning can help. Having a routine bedtime of 10pm, sleeping in a cool environment and turning off music, the internet, and televisions can help to reset the body clock. Sleeping in at the weekend is helpful, so she can ‘catch up’ on sleep that may have been missed during the week. But it‘s best for her to try to get up after and extra hour or two rather than "binge-sleeping" at the weekends. For instance if she is used to getting up at 6.30am she shouldn't sleep until noon at the weekend as this confuses their body clock.

Lots of sports during the day helps teenagers sleep well at night. It’s better if this is earlier in the day rather than later.

In summary: Getting enough sleep can influence your child’s health, emotional well being and even how well they do at school. Teenagers often find their sleep patterns shift - but there are things you can try to ensure they’re getting the sleep they need.

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