Children’s bedrooms and the science of sleep

Why sound sleep is so important for children – and how to make sure your kids get a proper, healthy night’s sleep…

It’s a serious business, sleep. But lack of it is even more serious, according to neuroscientist and leading sleep scientist, Matthew Walker, who believes that we are in the grip of a “sleep-loss epidemic”, with profound implications for the physical and mental health and general well being, not just of adults but of children too. 

Doing all that we can to help our children get a good night’s sleep is a priority for parents but can sometimes be hard to achieve. It helps, therefore, to understand what is actually happening to us when we are asleep. 

What is sleep and why is it so important for humans? 

  The average person spends a quarter to a third of their life asleep but most of usare blissfully unaware of what is going on in our brains and bodies during this time. 

The science of sleep is relatively new; prior to the 1950s, it was assumed that sleep was an entirely passive affair, where nothing really happened except dreams. We now know better and we’re learning more all the time.

Our brains go through a repeating cycle of two types of sleep: rapid eye movement (REM), preceded by four stages of non-REM, which starts as we drift off.  We then move into light sleep, as our temperature drops and our heart and breathing rates become a little slower, followed by the third and fourth stage of non-REM – deep sleep. 

The next stage is REM sleep, which until recently, was assumed to be the key to learning and memory, but the latest research indicates that non-REM sleep is, in fact, more important: it’s the sleep phase that does most to ensure that we get the physical and mental rest and cellular renewal that we need. In REM sleep, our eyes move quickly, as they do when we are awake, and our breathing rate increases, while our bodies become very still and we dream. This cycle is repeated up to five times a night, with the deeper non-REM stages becoming shorter and REM sleep phases becoming longer.

Our circadian rhythms, which are triggered by light and are linked to melatonin production, the hormone that regulates our sleep-wake cycles, are also involved, as is our sleep drive, which gradually increases throughout the day.

Good sleep supports healthy brain function, balanced metabolism, and good general physical health. 

Poor quality or insufficient sleep means increased health risks. People who don’t sleep well are more prone to conditions such as depression, diabetes, high blood pressure, migraines, obesity, and seizures. They’re also more susceptible to illness and infection. 

Why good sleep is so important for children

Good sleep habits not only start in childhood, they are essential for a healthy childhood, as well as providing one of the keys to a healthy adulthood. 

Poor or inadequate sleep has a direct impact on children’s mental health and can affect their moods and behaviour, and their ability to concentrate, which means that their school performance suffers too. So what can we do to give our children the best foundation for good sleep, not just while they are young but for life? 

How much sleep do children need?

Children’s sleep needs change as they get older and those needs will vary from child to child, even within the same family, but there is an optimum time range for each stage of their development. 

Newborns can spend 16 to 20 hours a day sleeping; toddlers, aged one to five, can vary between 12 and 15 hours a day.

Children from six to 12 need between nine and 12 hours’ sleep. 

Adolescents aged 13 to 18 need a similar amount. It isn’t, however, simply a question of quantity; quality of sleep is equally important,

 

What’s the best sleep environment for children?

Creating the perfect bedroom for our children to help them enjoy perfect sleep is definitely a question of balance, a blend of comfort, security, familiarity but minimal distraction:

Beds, mattresses and bedding

Start with the most suitable bed for your child; our range of children’s beds includes mid and high sleepers, captain’s beds, storage beds, four posters and bunk beds and make sure that, whatever style you choose, the bed is safe, sturdy and comfortable. 

Choosing the right mattress is equally important but the type of mattress  – coil sprung, open pocket, memory foam, or hypoallergenic – depends very much on what kind of sleeper your child is and if they have any allergies. Then decide on bedding; you’ll find duvet covers, pillowcases and sheets, quilts, and blankets in our mattresses and bedding section and mattress protectors here. By choosing the right combination of bed, mattress (and protector), and bedding, you’ll go a long way towards ensuring that your child will enjoy snuggling down and can look forward to a good night’s sleep. Read our complete guide to children’s mattresses here.

Lighting in children’s bedrooms

There are plenty of fun and creative choices for lighting a child’s bedroom; our children’s bedroom lighting range includes overhead and bedside lamps and shades featuring rabbits, owls, pigs and pom poms, stars, clouds, tartan and gingham. 

Many children, especially younger children, also like the reassurance of a nightlight; if that’s the case for your child, you may be surprised to know that a red nightlight is much better for sleep than a blue or white nightlight. But the best environment for sleep is total darkness, so blackout blinds are a good investment, especially if your child finds it difficult to get to sleep – or stay asleep.

Read our top tips for lighting children’s bedrooms here.

Screen-free is best

The blue light emitted by LED screens on smartphones and tablets is definitely a deterrent to sleep (see above). GP and health writer, Dr Rangan Chatterjee, recommends having a no-screen rule for 90-minutes before bedtime and no screens or chargers in the bedroom. (That applies to children and adults alike!)

For a belt and braces approach, set phones and tablets to switch to automatic eye comfort mode – which filters out blue light, leaving a red-orange hue – at a specific time. 

Check the temperature

There are optimum temperatures for sound sleep; babies need to be warm but not too hot, so a room temperature of 16-20°C is recommended; for toddlers it’s 18 to 22 °C, and for older children and upwards, 15-19°C. Aim for the appropriate range for your child and try to keep the ambient temperature constant.

An oasis of calm

While some children are naturally tidy, many aren’t; but a cluttered, untidy bedroom is, unfortunately, a deterrent to sleep. So encourage your child, from an early age, to tidy away their toys before bedtime, and limit the number of toys on the bed to a few special favourites. (Our storage beds offer a perfect solution to keeping children’s stuff under control!)

Bedtime routines and tips to help your child sleep

Most adults who sleep well will tell you that they tend to keep to a set routine, and bedtime is a sequence of proven rituals, such as going to bed at the same time each night, having a warm drink and a warm bath, comfortable nightwear, the right sort of mattress, reading for a while, or some soft music playing in the background. (How many of us swear that we always sleep better in our own beds?)

Children welcome and thrive on bedtime routines too, although it may take a while to work out what suits your child best, and you’ll need to adapt routines as your child grows. Here are our top tips and you’ll find more suggestions in the links at the end of this article.

Six steps to bedtime – and the joy of bedtime stories

One of the most familiar routines – bath, teeth, pyjamas, bed, story, sleep – works for many children. Even when they have reached the stage where they can read themselves, being read to is still comforting and reassuring and, by reading aloud to them beyond their own reading level, you are helping to stretch their understanding and to motivate them to develop their own reading skills.

Quiet activities and time for reassurance

Depending on your child, allow between 30 minutes and an hour for the bedtime routine and stick to quiet activities, such as colouring, drawing or reading. This is also the time for reassurance, if they are feeling anxious or anything has been worrying them during the day, or if they have had recent nightmares or bad dreams. Save the last few minutes for a final story, a kiss and a hug.

Lights out and self-settling

Turn out the main light, so that the bedroom is as dark as possible – a red nightlight (see above) may help – leave the room and allow your child to settle into sleep on their own. Encouraging your child to self settle will help them to get into the habit so that, if there are times when they wake you during the night but there is nothing actually wrong, they know how to settle down again and get back to sleep. After all, your sleep matters too…

Help for children with particular needs

Sleep can often be a challenge if your child has a medical condition or disability but this is where the internet can often come into its own, as there are many specialist forums, as well as podcasts and more general websites, where parents can share tips, questions and advice.

In a recent article for Thrive Global, for example, Annabelle Carter Short, outlined her most effective strategies for helping her child, who has autism, to sleep better. 
 

For more help with children’s sleep and sleep disorders, do read:

Sleep problems in young children (NHS)

Behavioural sleep problems in schoolage children (Sleep Health Foundation, Australia)

Specialist organisations:

The Children’s Sleep Charity (an award-winning UK charity that supports children who have sleep issues) 

The Sleep Council (has a section on sleep advice for children)
 

At The Children’s Furniture Company we think bedrooms should be practical and durable, but with a sprinkle of magic dust. Browse our full range of beds, mattresses, bedroom furniture and accessories.