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Luke is so tired and cranky after preschool that he falls asleep while eating his lunch," said my friend Mary Beth over coffee. "Then he’s wide awake until after the late news every night and has a fit when we finally force him to go to bed. When the alarm goes off the next morning, he’s fussy again and doesn’t want to get ready for school."

Children may not want to sleep, but good, restful sleep is necessary to help heal and repair the body. Still, recent health reports suggest that many Americans, including children and teenagers, are chronically sleep-deprived. In a study at Northwestern University Medical Center, experts followed the sleep patterns of 510 kids between 2 and 5 years old. The study found that less sleep at night resulted in more behavioral problems during the day. Separate studies have found that adults who suffer from sleep problems such as insomnia can often trace the disorder back to their elementary years.

As with adults, there are all kinds of reasons children don’t sleep well. But if you’ve got a problem sleeper (or two, or three) in your house, there are ways to help everyone get a good night’s sleep.

"I’m Not Sleepy!"

Learning to sleep all night is a big step toward independence for children. While you can’t force your child to fall asleep, you can help him relax at bed time, making it easier for him to get the deep sleep he needs.

What You Can Do:

• Establish a regular bedtime routine and stick with it, even on weekends.
• Keep naps early in the day, and encourage activity in the late afternoon.
• Tone down household distractions, like loud music or a flashing computer screen.
• Try using white noise—a small fan or other machine that produces a humming sound—in your child’s room.
• Install dark curtains or window shades to block light in your child’s room.

A Surprising Problem

If you’re trying to nab the sleep thief in your home, you might not need to look any further than your TV set. In a study published in the September 1999 issue of Pediatrics, researchers found that watching television is a major cause of sleep disturbances, leading to bedtime resistance, sleep onset delay, shorter sleep times and anxiety about sleep. The study found that sleep problems escalate when a child has a TV in his bedroom.

What You Can Do:

• Pay attention to what your kids are watching on TV. Avoid shows that are violent or that feature rapid scene changes, extended action scenes or loud sound effects.
• Turn the television off early to allow for quiet time or bedtime stories.
• Turn down the volume if you watch TV after the kids are in bed.
• Remove televisions from your children’s rooms.

Things That Go "Boo" in the Night

Just because a child goes to sleep doesn’t mean she’ll stay asleep. My friend’s 7-year-old goes to bed early, but recently began to wake up around midnight, frightened by scary dreams. She refuses to calm down and go back to sleep unless she’s snuggled in her parents’ bed.

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