A Season of Bedtime Challenges

After an unusually warm start to the season, the Fall weather is here. Along with the colorful leaves and nip in the air, kids have settled into the school year routine of early to bed, early to rise. But no sooner are the kids beginning to accept earlier bedtimes than seasonal festivities like Diwali and Halloween roll around.

Weeks of anticipation about parties, costumes, fireworks, and trick-or-treating culminate in a stash of sugary treats, some of them no doubt gobbled up late in the evening. If that alone doesn't wreak havoc on sleep schedules, throw in scary masks, monster costumes, cobwebs, witches, and the unexpected sound of firecrackers nearby.  A lot of children will run into problems getting a good night's sleep.

Slumber won't necessarily return to normal when the excitement is over, either. In the wee hours of Nov.6th, the end to Daylight Saving Time arrives with its semi-annual challenge to everyone's circadian rhythm.

Because parents know it's coming, they can prepare by monitoring what the kids consume, by maintaining calm, consistent schedules and by slowly shifting bedtime over a few days to accommodate the new time settings. There may be significant individual differences in how individuals respond to the loads of sugar inside those trick-or-treat sacks, and whether it affects sleep, so it's wise to observe each child's response to sugar.

It seems intuitive that eating sugary snacks right before bedtime would disrupt sleep, and many parents report that their children are more hyper after consuming sugar.

Surprisingly, the scientific literature regarding the effects of sugar on sleep is lacking, though moderation, regardless of the occasion, is always recommended.

Because caffeine unquestionably interferes with sleep, it’s important to watch out for caffeine in hidden places, like dark chocolate. 

In fact, if you haven’t already, you may want to sort through what’s left of your child's Halloween stash and keep the dark chocolate for yourself.  Studies do show a link between lack of sleep and later bedtime schedules (among adults) and greater consumption of calorie-dense, high-sugar, and high-fat foods. So, maintaining healthy sleep schedules and adequate sleep duration is critical for the whole family to curb nighttime binging on those sugary treats.

Beyond the usual culprits of cookies, candies, and assorted snacks, sodas are high not just in sugar, but also in sleep-robbing caffeine. And energy drinks, the most rapidly growing beverage market in North America, have skyrocketed in popularity among adolescents and young adults. Younger kids also are starting to consume energy drinks, whose primary ingredient is caffeine. In addition to sugar and caffeine, these drinks can contain guarana, taurine and other herbal supplements with stimulating properties that can interfere with sleep.

The amount of caffeine in sodas, which are classified as food, is regulated, but energy drinks are categorized as dietary supplements, and are unregulated. Whether children are getting caffeine from soda or even higher doses from energy drinks, they are at greater risk of sleep problems. And that can set off a vicious cycle: the energy drink leads to poor sleep which triggers a desire for more energy drinks to compensate for sleep loss.

What children see, hear, feel and fear—not just what they ingest—can disturb their sleep. Frightening movies and violent video games can lead to nightmares or sleep problems.

Predictable routines are a parent’s best friend this time of year; they help children feel safe, reassuring them that some things will always stay the same in the face of any large or small life transition.

Bedtime rituals can also help children adjust to a new time schedule. The good news is that the “fall back” cycle of daylight saving time is easier for most people to adjust to than the “spring forward” cycle. Just as east to west travel is easier on most people than the reverse—it's easier to stay up later than it is to go to bed earlier—gaining an hour is generally easier than losing an hour.

That doesn't mean that some children, accustomed to a 7:30 p.m. bedtime, won't be falling asleep at the dinner table at 6:30 p.m. for a few days after the clocks are set back.

Just like adjusting to jet lag, the best strategy is to shift gradually. If you haven’t started adjusting yet, you can start tonight.  If dinner is usually at 6:00, make it 6:15. If bedtime is 7:30, make it 7:45.

When children are well-rested and on a consistent schedule in advance, there will be fewer sleep disruptions.

Renée