Raise your family on better sleep

Raise your family on better sleep
Happy 2025! Hopefully you’re back from a relaxing family holiday. You’ve had time to reflect on the past year. Perhaps there are a few things you’d like to do better; like find more quality time for things that interest you, or take better control of a life-work balance.
If you’re raising a young family, your time is not always your own. And the time that you do get to spend together you want to be meaningful. Quality time by day requires quality sleep by night. Let’s get into a few pointers on how families that get better sleep can enjoy a better quality of life together.
Put your own sleep first
As a parent the best example you can demonstrate and set for your kids is the importance of sleep. Younger kids are obviously put to bed earlier. Teenagers? Not so easy. Those sudden spurts in growth can interfere with sleeping patterns. And so can online gaming into the small hours.
Try not to overly fret about your kids’ sleep as they grow into young adults. Instead, ensure you get your own, routine, quality sleep. Family is just one part of your working week. There’s also every working day that needs your full and focused attention.
Why family routine sleep is important
One of the life skills we want instil in our kids as they grow out of childhood is a sense of reality. Most of all we likely just want them to be considerate, as well as happy in themselves. One of their first learning curves will be the quality of sleep they get each night.
Way before you get to have that “birds ’n the bees” talk, you need to have a proper “ZZZees” chat. Proper, quality sleep every night is about learning to be self-aware. Doing well in class, on the sports field, or just generally enjoying a fulfilling day, making friends, having fun, and learning to become independently responsible, needs a well-rested head each day. We know that. Our kids are getting to learn that.
A few tips for healthier family sleep
- Be rigorous about devices – Preferably, devices should not be taken to bed. Consider having a family charging station where everyone leaves their phones overnight. Shut down computer activity ahead of bedtime. If your kids have PCs in their bedrooms, well, you need to trust that they won’t be glued to their monitors all night. It’ll take just a few sluggish breakfasts in the morning to realise that it’s not sustainable.
- Monitor diet and exercise – Growing kids have hollow legs, especially boys. You can’t possibly monitor everything they gulp down, but be open and purposeful about a balanced diet. Evening meals should be earlier than later, allowing enough time for proper digestion before bedtime. Snack attacks will happen, of course. Try to have at least a healthier selection of nibbles stocked up in the larder.
- Check the bedroom environment – Actually, start with your own bedroom. Is there enough airflow to keep the bedroom cool? Does your mattress still have the right level of comfort and support since you last updated it? The same goes for your kids. Of course, kids also generally use their bedrooms as work and recreation spaces. Impress on those youngsters that bedtime means just that. Bed!
- Be practical – Again, prioritise your own sleep needs. But there will also be off-schedule interruptions like evening school activities, perhaps early morning training, or having to deal with an unexpected life circumstance. The point is to keep as close as possible to a usual routine where everyone gets their much-needed quality sleep.
- Daytime behaviours – Keep an eye on whether your kid begins to have prolonged bouts of lethargy, irascibility, anxiety or show anti-social tendencies. This could be something other than sleep, of course. But quality, routine sleep is often the go-to you want to check on first.
Dial•a•Bed – your family sleep store
Everyone’s body changes over our lifetimes. From the cradle onwards, our young bodies become adults, we hit midlife before we know it, and then settle into more senior years. Each time of life requires a check on the level of comfort and support we’re getting in our mattresses. Body shape and preferred sleep postures are important to ensuring that we all afford ourselves the best, “sweet spot” mattress.
A family outing to a /store-locator isn’t exactly the most scintillating thought. But think how your kids might quickly learn the importance of different mattress types and how we all need to connect with the physical realities of good, quality sleep. The Dial•a•Bed range caters to every sleep preference. Why not do a little window shopping first at www.dialabed.co.za. Just not during bedtime. You don’t want the kids catching you out.
TAKE CARE: Lifestyle recommendation is not medical advice. Always consult your healthcare professional should you be experiencing prolonged sleep difficulties or related health issues.