School-age sleep: in a nutshell

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If your child sleeps well, she will be more settled, happy and ready for school the next day. Getting enough sleep strengthens her immune system and may reduce the risk of infection and illness.

Children aged six to nine need 10-11 hours sleep a night. They are usually tired after school and may look forward to bedtime from about 7.30 pm.

Bedtime routine

A bedtime routine is very important at this age so your child can wind down from her day. Keep the bedroom dark, cool and quiet so that she can drift off easily.

A bedtime routine might look like this:

After a big day at school, many of the day’s events and worries are still rattling around in your child’s head. If they are still unresolved when she goes to bed, it can cause a restless night or bad dreams. Many school-age children also sleeptalk, especially if they are excited or worried about a holiday, a test or similar. Sleeptalking is nothing to worry about. Talking with her calmly about the event may reduce her night-time chatter.

Bedwetting

Children cannot control bedwetting and they almost always grow out of it. If your school-age child wets the bed, she is probably not the only one in her class who does.

Bedwetting happens when a child does not wake up when her bladder is full at night. Many children who wet the bed seem to sleep heavily and are harder to wake than other children. Many produce more wee at night than other children, due to a low level of a specific urine hormone.

Reassure children that bedwetting is normal, there is nothing to be ashamed about, and most will grow out of it in time. It can be very helpful for them to know if someone else in the family used to wet the bed. To help her feel better about it, explain in simple terms some of the reasons for bedwetting.

Check with your doctor if:

• your child is still wetting in the day by school age
• your child who is normally dry, starts wetting again for more than two nights
• you are becoming very upset by the bedwetting
• you have any other concerns about bedwetting. 

Night terrors and nightmares

Night terrors are less common than nightmares and usually disappear by age six. They do not harm your child, who is in a deep sleep and often remembers nothing about it in the morning. However, they can be unnerving for a parent!

Up to 50% of children under seven have nightmares. And the nightmares are often scary enough to wake them up. As your child grows older she will get better at understanding that a dream is just a dream. By the age of seven, she may be able to deal with her nightmares without calling you to comfort her.

How children sleep

Some children fall deeply asleep very quickly. Others sleep lightly, fidgeting and muttering for up to 20 minutes, before getting into deep sleep.

Your child’s sleep cycle lasts only about 40 minutes (in adults, it’s 90 minutes). Each cycle is made up of light sleep and deep sleep, followed by brief waking. For the first part of the night, about 80% of her sleep is deep. Then, about halfway through a normal length of sleep, the sleep cycle flips so that, by morning, 80% is light sleep. It is the same for adults, explaining why it's easier to be woken towards the end of your night’s sleep.

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  Newsletter snippet: School-age sleep: in a nutshell
  

  
  By Raising Children Network 

  Getting a good night’s sleep is important for your child’s health, growth and development. It helps him to be more settled and ready for school the next day.
  
  About school-age sleep

  • Children aged 6-9 need 10-11 hours sleep a night.
  • Bedtime is usually from about 7.30 pm.
  • It’s important to have a bedtime routine.
  • Keep the bedroom dark, cool and quiet.
  • Sleeptalking is nothing to worry about.
  • Bedwetting is something your child will grow out of: 20% of children wet the bed at age five, only 5% by age 10.
  • Night terrors usually disappear by age six.
  • Up to 50% of children aged under seven have nightmares.
  • Children have a 40-minute sleep cycle of light sleep and deep sleep, followed by brief waking.

  This article is an extract only. For more information, visit raisingchildren.net.au/sleep/school_age_sleep.html.

  Sourced from the Raising Children Network's comprehensive and quality-assured Australian parenting website www.raisingchildren.net.au.