How to Get an 11-Year-Old to Sleep Easy

Everyone, especially children, needs a good night's sleep. The amount of sleep recommended for each person is dependent upon age. The American Academy of Family Physicians, or AAFP, suggests that an 11-year-old child needs 10 hours of sleep. Getting a resistant child to go to bed can be remedied by establishing a routine and sticking to it.

Things You'll Need

  • Books
  • Night light
  • Soft music
  • Guided meditation CD
  • Music player

Instructions

    • 1

      Decide what time your child should go to bed to get the amount recommended by the AAFP or your pediatrician. If an 11-year-old has to be at school by 8:30 a.m. and needs an hour to get ready and travel to school, she should go to bed at or before 10:30 p.m.

    • 2
      Establishing and sticking to a routine will help your child fall sleep.

      Establish a bedtime routine for your child. The Center for Child Well-being says a child needs routines integrated into his life early on. Repetition leads to habit. Work with your son to decide what the bedtime routine will include. The process may include steps, like taking a shower or bath, brushing his teeth, reading or finishing with listening to soft music or guided meditation with the lights dimmed or off.

    • 3

      Gregg D. Jacobs, Ph.D., who specializes in behavioral and sleep medicine, suggests practicing these relaxation techniques and mental focusing at bedtime. Relaxation techniques such as progressive relaxation, may require your help at first. Progressive relaxation has her focus on relaxing each muscle in her body, from toe to head. Describe how it feels to relax all those muscles. Tell her what it feels like to sink into the bed, and to allow the bed to support her full weight. The more descriptive the better.

      Mental focusing is a form of meditation. If you're new to meditation, look for a guided meditation CD that hits theta brain wave ( rapid-eye movement or dreaming sleep) patterns (4-7.9 Hz). These CDs use sounds that tap into her theta brainwaves that help induce sleep. Have her slip into bed and listen to the CD. Turn out the lights and leave the room.

    • 4

      Work backwards to reach the desired bedtime. Start with the current bedtime and push it back a little each week or every few days depending on what works for you and your child until you reach the desired bed time. If your son goes to bed a 11 p.m., start your routine at 10:30 p.m. The following week, start the routine at 10 p.m. Continue this pattern until reaching the desired bedtime.

    • 5

      Be persistent. Breaking the current bedtime pattern or habit may take some time. Dr. Ian Newby-Clark, a psychologist at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, notes that there is no definitive timetable to change a pattern or habit.

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