Rock-A-Bye-Baby: The Importance of Sleep

Rise and shine! The ability to wake up feeling refreshed and ready for activity early in the morning boils down to the amount and quality of sleep you had the night before. Ever stayed up late at the wee hours of the morning, only to set an alarm for 3 hours later? That feeling of pure exhaustion and heaviness – we’ve all been there. From improving our concentration and productivity to reducing the risk of heart disease or strokes, good quality sleep, is important for our well-being.

The Importance of Sleep in a Child’s Development

When it comes to kids, sleep is especially vital as it restores their physical and mental health, boosts immunity, and facilitates growth. Research has shown that getting quality shut-eye regulates a child’s immune system that is in general more susceptible to diseases. Since sleep also helps our brain function properly, it’ll help your kids pay better attention in class and improve learning. Similarly, infants require plenty of sleep due to the overload of stimulation when awake. To sleep better at night, they’ll need to sleep during the day, and the cycle repeats.

How to Use Lighting Help Your Kids Sleep Better 

Studies on preschool students have shown that exposure to blue electric light in the evening suppresses their melatonin production entirely. Melatonin suppression began within 10 minutes of bright light exposure, lasting for an hour after the lights were switched off. This, inevitably reduces the quality of a child’s sleep, risking long-term problems in the future.

As some of you might already know, you can rectify poor sleeping habits with smart lighting. Likewise, you can use lighting in your smart home to improve the quality of your child’s sleep. Here’s how you can help your child sleep better at each stage of their life:

1. Newborn

A newborn sleeps for a total of about 14 to 17 hours – that is most of the day. Since a baby’s sleep pattern also changes a few weeks after its birth, and it slowly starts to establish its circadian cycle due, at this stage, your lighting should be catered more to you, the parent. From late-night feeding sessions to nappy changes, motion-sensitive lights will come in handy. You can also pair the Near Smart Motion Sensor with other Near products to make your life more convenient.

2. 3 to 6 months old

This is the phase of a child’s development where they start forming sleep patterns. This is also the time when kids start watching shows on iPads or iPhones. These electronics emit blue light that is known to affect mental health and cause the pineal gland to decrease the release of melatonin, making it harder for parents to put their kids to bed. To prevent this, opt for customisable lighting that emits dim red light which has a higher wavelength and does not cause melatonin suppression.

3. 6 to 12 months old

As a child starts getting older, there is an increased need to have a sleep schedule. Use lighting solutions and automate them in your smart home so that the kids get used to the routine. Install motion sensors that are connected to smart LED night lights, so that the room will be lit when they wake up, and you will not have to settle them back to sleep. Opt for tunable white light with decreased exposure to blue light.

4. 1 year and up

This is around the age when parents start potty training their kids, and night-time toilet visits become common. Increase independence with motion-sensitive lights. If your kids sleep alone and you want to be alerted of their movement, the Near Smart Door Sensor can be installed to send notifications should the door to your kid’s room open in the middle of the night.