Why Your School-Aged Child Struggles with Sleep & How to Fix It

Is Your Child Getting Enough Sleep?

 

Why is my 8-year-old struggling to fall asleep

Does your child struggle to fall asleep and your whole evening is taken up with bedtime? Do they wake frequently during the night, or wake up far too early? You’re not alone.

Sleep issues in school-aged children (ages 5–12) are more common than many parents realise—and they can significantly impact a child’s mood, learning, and overall health.

The good news? With the right support, you can help your child develop healthy sleep habits and get the rest they need to thrive.

In this post, we’ll explore why school-aged children often struggle with sleep and how a professional sleep consultation can offer practical solutions.

Common Sleep Issues in School-Aged Children

Many children face sleep challenges that affect their ability to function during the day. Here are some of the most common problems:

  • Difficulty Falling Asleep

Bedtime battles can be triggered by anxiety, school-related worries, or simply an inability to wind down after a busy day. (Learn more about anxiety and sleep issues)

  • Night Waking

Waking frequently during the night can be caused by nightmares, bedwetting, or environmental factors such as noise or changes in temperature.

  • Early Waking

Does your child wake up at 5 a.m. ready to start the day? Early waking often leads to insufficient sleep, which affects their mood and energy levels.

  • Daytime Fatigue and Lack of Focus

Children who don’t get enough sleep often struggle to concentrate in school, leading to lower academic performance and emotional outbursts.

How Poor Sleep Affects Your Child

Sleep deprivation can have serious consequences for school-aged children, including:

  • Academic Challenges: Poor sleep reduces memory retention, focus, and problem-solving abilities, making it harder to keep up in school.
  • Behavioural Issues: Sleep-deprived children are more likely to experience irritability, hyperactivity, or emotional meltdowns.
  • Physical Health: Insufficient sleep can weaken the immune system and increase the risk of obesity and other health problems.

Learn more about the connection between sleep and school performance on our [Sleep and Learning] page.

How a Sleep Consultation Can Help Your Family

At Millpond Children’s Sleep Clinic, we fully understand how frustrating sleep problems can be—for both you and your child. That’s why we offer personalised sleep consultations designed to meet the unique needs of each family.

Here’s how we can help:

  • Tailored Sleep Plans:

    We assess your child’s sleep challenges and create a bespoke plan to improve their sleep routine.

  • Expert Guidance:

    With over 30 years of experience in children’s sleep consulting, we offer practical, evidence-based solutions that work. Learn more about us.

  • Ongoing Support:

We provide unlimited follow-up email support and consultations to ensure your child’s progress continues and that any setbacks are addressed quickly.

Why Parents in the UK Trust Millpond

We’ve helped thousands of families across the UK overcome sleep difficulties. Here’s what one parent had to say:

“We were at our wit’s end with our 7-year-old daughter’s constant getting up at bedtime and taking hours to fall asleep. It was extremely stressful for us and her and we all dreaded bedtime. Millpond’s personalised approach changed everything. Our daughter now goes to bed happily, falls asleep easily by herself,  and we finally have our evenings back!” – Katie-Suffolk

Ready to Help Your Child Sleep Better?

If your child is struggling with sleep, don’t wait for the problem to resolve itself. A professional sleep consultation can make all the difference.

Book your consultation with Millpond Children’s Sleep Clinic today and take the first step towards better sleep and brighter days.

[Book Now]

 

For more on children’s sleep problems and recommendations, visit the NHS’s guide to sleep for children

Is your child a lark or an owl?

What is your child’s chronotype?

chronotype

  • Chronotype describes the time of day when you feel most alert or energetic – whether you are a morning lark or a night owl or somewhere between the two, often referred to a “third bird”.  If you prefer to go to bed early and wake early, you are a ‘morning type’ or ‘lark’. Or if a later bedtime and wake up time suits you better, you are an ‘evening type’, or ‘owl’.
  • Your chronotype is inherited from your parents, genetically determined in the same way as your eye colour and your natural sleep rhythm is passed on to you through the PER3 gene.
  • Larks make up roughly 40 per cent and owls 30 per cent of the population with the remainder coming somewhere in between.

Why do I need to know my child’s chronotype?

  • Knowing your chronotype will help you sleep better, and plan your day knowing when you perform at your best.
  • Larks tend to function well in the mornings, when owls are slowly coming round. Whereas owls come into their own come late in the day and evening times, when larks are ready to put their feet up.
  • As well as knowing how much sleep your child needs, identifying their chronotype means you will be able to establish a sleep pattern for them in line with their natural body clock. Work out which chronotype best describes you and your partner and use this as a basis for your child’s bedtime and waking time. By working with your child’s natural body clock they are more likely to fall asleep faster, have more and better-quality sleep and wake less at night.

chronotype

Larks

  • A lark child is likely to need an earlier bedtime. Putting your lark to bed later usually means they will have less sleep that night, as they are still likely to wake at their typically early morning time.

Owls

  • An owl child is likely to have a slightly later bed and wake-up times than their lark-like friend. It is particularly important for owls to have a regular set bedtime and, just as importantly, a fixed wake up time.  If owls are put to bed late, they are more likely to wake later too. If this pattern is repeated, for example over school holidays, their body clock will shift into a later phase. Limiting light exposure in the evening and having a good dose of light in the morning will help keep an owl child’s body clock on track.

How to Manage Early Risers and Get More Sleep

Early morning waking is a common challenge that many parents face, and it can be incredibly exhausting. Whether your little one is rising with the sun at the crack of dawn or waking up at an ungodly hour that leaves you feeling like you’ve barely closed your eyes, the struggle is real. But fear not, tired parents! In this blog, we’ll explore the causes of early morning waking and share effective strategies to help you and your child conquer this frustrating problem.

keeping a sleep diary

Ensuring your toddler gets the right amount of sleep, both during the day and at night, is crucial for their well-being, and it can be a delicate balance. Early waking in toddlers may indicate they’re either getting too much or too little sleep during the day.

To address early waking, consider encouraging your toddler to nap either late morning or after lunch. If their nap occurs very early in the morning, it might interfere with their nighttime sleep. Gradually shift their nap time later by 15 minutes each day until you reach your goal.

To avoid reinforcing early waking and creating an early morning hunger habit it’s best not to offer your child milk or food until after 6 am; if they seem thirsty try offering a few sips of water or gradually wean them off the need for milk with distraction or reducing the volume by 10 MLS every few days.

Resist the temptation to inadvertently reward early waking by bringing your child into your bed to watch TV or play games. Instead, encourage them to stay quietly in their bed until it’s time to get up, even if you need to stay with them.

Ensure the sleep environment is conducive to rest by keeping the room temperature between 16-20°C and maintaining darkness and quietness until wake-up time.

For older toddlers, implementing a reward system coupled with a morning light system can incentivize them to stay in bed until an appropriate wake-up time.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to setting up a morning lamp system to help your child stay in bed until an appropriate wake-up time:

  • Choose a Lamp:

Select a small lamp that you already have at home and place it in your child’s room.

  • Position the Lamp:

Place the lamp where your child can easily see it from their bed, but ensure it’s not positioned right next to their head.

  • Plug into Timer Switch:

Plug the lamp into a digital timer switch that will turn the lamp on automatically at the set time.

  • Use Low-Wattage Bulb:

Opt for a low-wattage bulb in the lamp to prevent it from waking your child if they’re still asleep when it turns on.

  • Set Early Wake-Up Time:

Initially, set the morning lamp to come on at the earliest time your child usually wakes, even if it’s as early as 5:00 am. Start with an easy-to-achieve goal in the first few days.

  • Lamp as Morning Guide:

The lamp serves as a visual cue for when it’s morning and when your child can come out of their room.

  • Explain the Reward System:

Explain to your child that to earn their reward, they must stay in their bed until the lamp comes on.

  • Gradual Adjustments:

Once your child understands the goal and is motivated to earn their reward, gradually adjust the timer switch in small increments of 5 minutes each day. Repeat this process slowly until you reach your desired wake-up time.

 

By following these steps, you can help your child learn to stay in bed until an appropriate time, promoting better sleep habits for the entire family.

Please bear in mind that early rising can take a few weeks to see signs of improvement. It is a good idea to keep a record of your child’s waking times so you can see the gradual improvement in their sleeping patterns.

How to prepare your child’s sleep for the clock change Sunday 25th October 2020

How will the clock change affect my child’s sleep?

If your child loves to wake up early and you’ve finally managed to persuade them to sleep in past 6.00am, you may be dreading the clock change on Sunday 25th October.  Overnight you are back to having an early riser  and facing the day at 5.30am again.

But worry not….help is at hand, Mandy Gurney, Founder of Millpond Children’s Sleep Clinic, shares her top tips to minimise the disruption to sleep in your household. With a little advanced planning you can proactively prepare your child for the clock change. 

Here’s how….

Tip 1:

Prepare your child’s body clock

About 10 to 12 days before the clock change start putting your child to bed 15 minutes later than usual. For example if their usual bedtime is 7.30pm, move this to 7.45pm.

After three nights of the new time, shift bedtime by another 15 minutes, so it is now 8.00pm.

Continue repeating this process until the bedtime has moved an hour later.

Initially your child may still wake at the same time in the morning, but by shifting their body clock slowly this way, you will find the morning will soon catch up.

Remember to shift naps, meal and milk times as well.

Tip 2:

Let the light in 

Light has the biggest influence on our body clocks.

Encourage your child to play outside in the afternoon light, as this will help to keep them up that little bit later at bedtime.

Tip 3:

Wind down before bed

An hour before sleep, encourage your child to have a wind down time. Do something relaxing such as reading a book together before you start their bedtime routine.

However make sure you avoid any screens at this time, research has shown that bright light from these screens can interfere with the production of melatonin the sleep hormone.

Tip 4:

Your bedtime routine 

About 30 minutes before your child goes to bed carry out the same series of steps every night. Having a regular routine that you follow each night will enable your child’s body to prepare for sleep as soon as you start this.

A warm bath-

Have a warm, relaxing bath lasting no longer than 10 minutes. A bath before bed should not be playtime as this could over stimulate your tired child. Go straight into the bedroom and get your child ready for bed.

Bedroom lights-

Dim the lights in the bedroom ready for your return from the bath, as this will help with the production of the sleep hormone melatonin.

Story time-

Read one or two quiet stories or sing a gentle lullaby. Have a cuddle and kiss goodnight and tuck them in with their favourite soft toy.

Time to sleep-

Once they’re drowsy, leave the bedroom so that they learn to fall asleep independently. Your child should be asleep about 15 minutes later.

Tip 5:

Morning feeds and meals

It is best to delay your child’s milk and breakfast by 15 minutes every few days too, so they don’t wake early for food.

Tip 6:

Is it time to get up?

To help your child know when they can get up in the morning set up a lamp with a low watt bulb and plug this into a timer switch in their room.

Set the light to come on 15 minutes later than they would normally get up.

Explain that they must stay in bed until the light comes on in the morning, even if initially this means you have to stay in the room with them to enable this to happen. 

If your child stays in bed until the light changes give them kisses and cuddles to show how pleased you are. 

As you shift bedtime later, move the time on the switch later. 

Don’t be tempted to move any quicker than this as your child may struggle to wait and it won’t work.

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