Bedtime
Encyclopedia
Bedtime, in Western parenting
tradition, involves to a greater or lesser extent, rituals made to help children feel more secure, and become accustomed toward a comparatively more rigid sleep schedule than they would otherwise establish.
Bedtime for children may become a positive ritual including:
In some families, bedtime is an important bonding period for parents and children. The routines of bedtime can be an opportunity to spend quality time
with a child, discussing emotional concepts such as views of daytime experiences, expressing interests as plans for the next day, and learning, for example with a book. It plays a key part in many parenting styles
.
If people do not get enough sleep, they will function less well the following day. Growing children (particularly teenagers) need more sleep than others, but may be reluctant to go to bed at a suitable time, while their morning is scheduled by an alarm clock and appointments. This can become a significant developmental issue for months or years.
In adults, changes in sleep
and bedtime may occur due to shift work
, often creating severe problems with sleep rhythms. Natural sleeping rhythms lead to individually appropriate bedtimes, varying according to a person's chronotype
.
, as in "It's past my bedtime."
In boarding school
s and on trips or holidays that involve young people, the equivalent of bedtime is lights-out; a term also used in prisons and in sleep research.
Parenting
Parenting is the process of promoting and supporting the physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development of a child from infancy to adulthood...
tradition, involves to a greater or lesser extent, rituals made to help children feel more secure, and become accustomed toward a comparatively more rigid sleep schedule than they would otherwise establish.
Bedtime for children may become a positive ritual including:
- BathingBathingBathing is the washing or cleansing of the body in a fluid, usually water or an aqueous solution. It may be practised for personal hygiene, religious ritual or therapeutic purposes or as a recreational activity....
and Oral hygieneOral hygieneTeeth cleaning is part of oral hygiene and involves the removal of dental plaque from teeth with the intention of preventing cavities , gingivitis, and periodontal disease. People routinely clean their own teeth by brushing and interdental cleaning, and dental hygienists can remove hardened... - Bedtime storyBedtime storyA bedtime story is a traditional form of storytelling, where a story is told to a child at bedtime to prepare them for sleep.Bedtime stories have many advantages, for parents/adults and children alike. The fixed routine of a bedtime story before sleeping has a relaxing effect, and the soothing...
- Songs, nursery rhymes or a lullabyLullabyA lullaby is a soothing song, usually sung to young children before they go to sleep, with the intention of speeding that process. As a result they are often simple and repetitive. Lullabies can be found in every culture and since the ancient period....
- Getting dressed in pajamasPajamasPajamas, also spelled pyjamas , can refer to several related types of clothing. The original paijama are loose, lightweight trousers fitted with drawstring waistbands and worn in South and West Asia by both sexes...
- Talking about the day, and plans for tomorrow
In some families, bedtime is an important bonding period for parents and children. The routines of bedtime can be an opportunity to spend quality time
Quality time
Quality time is an informal reference to time spent with loved ones which is in some way important, special, productive or profitable. It is time that is set aside for paying full and undivided attention to the person or matter at hand...
with a child, discussing emotional concepts such as views of daytime experiences, expressing interests as plans for the next day, and learning, for example with a book. It plays a key part in many parenting styles
Parenting styles
A parenting style is a psychological construct representing standard strategies that parents use in their child rearing. There are many differing theories and opinions on the best ways to rear children, as well as differing levels of time and effort that parents are willing to invest.Many parents...
.
Disorders
Children refusing to go to bed, or unwilling to go to bed, or even scared to fall asleep, is a common problem. The causes of the reluctance may include:- Fear of darkness also called nyctophobiaNyctophobiaNyctophobia is a phobia characterized by a severe fear of the darkness. It is triggered by the brain’s disfigured perception of what would or could happen when in a dark environment....
, - Inability to sleep also called insomniaInsomniaInsomnia is most often defined by an individual's report of sleeping difficulties. While the term is sometimes used in sleep literature to describe a disorder demonstrated by polysomnographic evidence of disturbed sleep, insomnia is often defined as a positive response to either of two questions:...
which also results in boredomBoredomBoredom is an emotional state experienced when an individual is without any activity or is not interested in their surroundings. The first recorded use of the word boredom is in the novel Bleak House by Charles Dickens, written in 1852, in which it appears six times, although the expression to be a...
, often a symptom of hyperactivity or too long in bed, - Nightmares,
- Curiosity about what is going on beyond their bedroom (such as what parents are doing),
- A circadian rhythm sleep disorderCircadian rhythm sleep disorderCircadian rhythm sleep disorders are a family of sleep disorders affecting, among other things, the timing of sleep. People with circadian rhythm sleep disorders are unable to sleep and wake at the times required for normal work, school, and social needs. They are generally able to get enough sleep...
or another sleep disorderSleep disorderA sleep disorder, or somnipathy, is a medical disorder of the sleep patterns of a person or animal. Some sleep disorders are serious enough to interfere with normal physical, mental and emotional functioning...
.
If people do not get enough sleep, they will function less well the following day. Growing children (particularly teenagers) need more sleep than others, but may be reluctant to go to bed at a suitable time, while their morning is scheduled by an alarm clock and appointments. This can become a significant developmental issue for months or years.
In adults, changes in sleep
Sleep
Sleep is a naturally recurring state characterized by reduced or absent consciousness, relatively suspended sensory activity, and inactivity of nearly all voluntary muscles. It is distinguished from quiet wakefulness by a decreased ability to react to stimuli, and is more easily reversible than...
and bedtime may occur due to shift work
Shift work
Shift work is an employment practice designed to make use of the 24 hours of the clock. The term "shift work" includes both long-term night shifts and work schedules in which employees change or rotate shifts....
, often creating severe problems with sleep rhythms. Natural sleeping rhythms lead to individually appropriate bedtimes, varying according to a person's chronotype
Chronotype
Chronotype is an attribute of animals, including human beings, reflecting at what time of the day their physical functions are active, change or reach a certain level...
.
Etymology
Sometimes the term is used to mean simply "time for bed," similar to curfewCurfew
A curfew is an order specifying a time after which certain regulations apply. Examples:# An order by a government for certain persons to return home daily before a certain time...
, as in "It's past my bedtime."
In boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
s and on trips or holidays that involve young people, the equivalent of bedtime is lights-out; a term also used in prisons and in sleep research.
See also
- Bedtime storyBedtime storyA bedtime story is a traditional form of storytelling, where a story is told to a child at bedtime to prepare them for sleep.Bedtime stories have many advantages, for parents/adults and children alike. The fixed routine of a bedtime story before sleeping has a relaxing effect, and the soothing...
- Crib talkCrib talkCrib talk or crib speech is pre-sleep monologue made by young children while in bed. This starts somewhere around one-and-a-half years and usually ends by about two-and-a-half years of age, though children can continue longer. It consists of conversational discourse with turn-taking often...
- RitualRitualA ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value. It may be prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. The term usually excludes actions which are arbitrarily chosen by the performers....
- Sleep cycle
- LullabyLullabyA lullaby is a soothing song, usually sung to young children before they go to sleep, with the intention of speeding that process. As a result they are often simple and repetitive. Lullabies can be found in every culture and since the ancient period....
- ParentingParentingParenting is the process of promoting and supporting the physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development of a child from infancy to adulthood...
External links
- Ideas for bedtime rituals
- Bedtime.com - the "bedtime home page"
- AdoptionBlogs.com on Bedtime
- A bedtime card ritual designed to make bedtime easier for 3- to 6-year-old children