Parents often get stressed when their kids become hyperactive and suffer from a lack of sleep, too. The National Sleep Foundation has released appropriate daily sleep range times that are healthy for different age groups:
- Newborns (0-3 months): 14-17 hours
- Infants (4-11 months): 12-15 hours
- Toddlers (1-2 years): 11-14 hours
- Preschoolers (3-5): 10-13 hours
- School age children (6-13): 9-11 hours
- Teenagers (14-17): 8-10 hours
- Younger adults (18-25): 7-9 hours
- Adults (26-64): 7-9 hours
- Older adults (65+): 7-8 hours
A recent Gallup poll has found that a lot of Americans (40 percent) don't get enough sleep each night. For parents, this could be due to restless kids.
"The ability to sit still is highly variable in preschoolers," said Wendy Sue Swanson, M.D., a pediatrician with The Everett Clinic in Mill Creek, Washington, and an advisor in Parents.com. "Anything from 15 seconds to 15 minutes can be normal."
Thankfully, there are a few things that parents can do to help with their kid's restlessness. Here are a few tips that might help.
Paint Your Kid's Room Blue or Green
According to Today, painting your kid's room with a calming color can have long-term effects on his/her restlessness. Cool colors, such as blue or green, can have calming effects on your kids, while warm colors can heighten their activity.
Blue, a cool color, is known to slow heart rates, and lower blood pressure; while Green symbolizes nature, and might help promote a relaxed, calming, and restful state.
On the other hand, warm colors like Yellow can increase cardiopulmonary activities, and Red can increase blood pressure levels and up the appetite. Best steer away from painting your kid's room with such colors.
Let Them Play
Moving around helps kids pay attention, so letting kids play will help, too. "Outdoor play in particular stimulates the production of serotonin and dopamine -- two neurotransmitters crucial for attention, focus, impulse control, and learning," Loren Shlaes, a pediatric occupational therapist in New York City, told Parents.
Additionally, letting them play during the day tires them, and helps them sleep earlier and better at night, according to Savorylotus.
Establish a Good Sleep Routine
Having a calming bedtime routine about an hour before sleeping can help both the child and the parent. Today suggests putting in relaxing activities like listening to calming music, reading a book, or taking a bath.
Lastly, be patient with your restless child. A behavioral problem could be caused by a disorder such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). If this is the case, doctors can help, said Dr. Swanson.
Whatever the case, what matters is that you and your child are getting better.
