How to help your baby sleep during the day. Ways to quickly fall asleep baby. Self-sleeping techniques

Insomnia is a current problem faced by both adults and children. Consider effective methods for quickly falling asleep.

Nowadays it is difficult to meet a person who could boast of a healthy sleep. The causes of insomnia are many. The problem of falling asleep appears with overwork, overexcitation, stress, various chronic diseases and many other factors.

There is a certain method that answers the question of how to fall asleep in 1 minute. This is a deep breathing method. It allows you to fall asleep in less than one minute. This method was developed by Dr. Andrew Weil. The technique is based on the saturation of the body with oxygen through slow deep breathing. It relaxes the psyche and muscles, promotes calm.

Method "4-7-8":

Suitable for children and adults, allows you to quickly fall asleep and most importantly do not wake up during the night.
Inhale slowly, calmly and deeply for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 7 seconds and exhale slowly through your mouth. The exhalation should last 8 seconds.
Exercise slows down the heart rate and is calming. The effect of this method can be compared with taking a light sedative drug.

In order to minimize or even prevent nighttime waking up, it is necessary to eliminate irritants and properly prepare for a night's rest:

Bedding and bed should be clean and comfortable. At the same time, warm shades contribute to easy falling asleep.
Be sure to ventilate the bedroom. Fresh air helps you fall asleep and sleep well.
Walking before bed or light physical activity is the best way to charge positive emotions and prepare the body for a night's rest.

Do not forget that the rhythm of life affects the night's rest. Sleep deficiency, as well as its excess, increase the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and other pathologies from the whole body.

How many minutes does it take to fall asleep?

Surely everyone at least once, but thought about how many minutes it takes to fall asleep. On average, falling asleep occurs within 3-10 minutes. In this case, the optimal duration of sleep for an adult is 7.5-9 hours. Sleep preparation affects the rate of falling asleep. There are many factors to consider when preparing for a night's rest:

Stick to a schedule - try to go to bed at the same time every day. The body will gradually get used to the routine and will turn off and wake up at a certain time. Avoid daytime rest.

Don't forget to relax. Before going to bed, you can take a warm bath to relax your muscles. You can also read or listen to music.

Remove all possible irritants. First of all, turn off electronic devices that cause eye and brain strain. Do not drink alcohol before bed, as even a glass of wine can cause sleep disturbances. The last meal should be 3-4 hours before bedtime.

The need for a night's rest, as well as the time to fall asleep, is individual for each person. At the same time, the longer a person falls asleep and sleeps less, the higher the risk of developing various disorders and pathologies.

How to fall asleep quickly in 1 minute?

To combat insomnia, there are special techniques that will tell you how to fall asleep quickly in 1 minute, consider them:

Sleep breathing - this method calms and relaxes. It consists of several phases, each phase should last 5 seconds: inhale - stop - exhale - slowly inhale - stop - exhale. Gradually, the time between phases can be increased up to 10 seconds. Such breathing provokes drowsiness.
10 Count Breathing - Breathe slowly, counting your inhales and exhales to ten. This exercise automatically turns off attention from internal problems and promotes falling asleep. The breath count can be carried out in several cycles, only it is necessary to breathe through the mouth and not very deeply.
The method of special services - this method is described by the famous intelligence officer Suvorov. It is necessary to lie on your back, relax as much as possible and stretch out. Close your eyes and roll your pupils up, that is, ensure the physiological state of the eyeballs during sleep. In this position, sleep comes very quickly.
Reverse Blink Technique - Lie down and close your eyelids. After 5, 10 or 15 seconds, that is, at regular intervals, open and close your eyes. This allows you to quickly relax and fall asleep.

You can perform breathing exercises if you do not have chronic lung diseases (asthma, bronchitis). REM sleep techniques are not recommended for acute respiratory infections and pneumonia. At the same time, do not forget about the prerequisite for a quick and high-quality night's rest - this is a ventilated room for sleeping and a comfortable bed.

How to fall asleep in 1 minute for children?

Sleep problems are most commonly experienced by children. Sleep is essential in a child's development. Not only the emotional state, but also the physical development depends on its quality. Difficulties with falling asleep are associated with a certain age, that is, the period of a baby's life.

Daily routine - if the child follows a certain schedule of sleep and wakefulness, this will establish the process of falling asleep and waking up. The average duration of sleep in a child under 12 years of age is approximately 9-10 hours. During adolescence, these values change.
Relaxation - before going to bed, the child can read a book or put on quiet background music that will help him fall asleep quickly. At the same time, it is better to stop cartoons, games and other activities that irritate the nervous system 2-3 hours before bedtime.
Physical activity throughout the day is a guarantee that the child will fall asleep quickly. An early dinner and a glass of warm milk with honey are equated to fast sleep.

The above methods allow you to normalize the process of falling asleep in children of any age.

How to fall asleep in 5 minutes?

Sleep problems are known to many; various breathing techniques and relaxation methods are used to fall asleep. Consider how to fall asleep in 5 minutes and minimize the frequency of night awakenings with auto-training exercises:

beach exercise

First of all, you need to lie comfortably in bed and take cover, freely straighten your arms and legs. Imagine that you are on a warm sandy beach. Warm sand begins to gradually warm in the back. Warm sand pours onto the right hand, covering it more and more. Gradually, the sand covers the wrist, elbow and reaches the shoulder. The hand becomes heavy. Then warm sand slowly falls asleep on the left hand. Then the legs, starting with the feet, through the ankles to the knee, thighs and lower abdomen. Gradually sprinkles the stomach, left and right side, chest and neck. The face warms pleasantly from the warm sand and the relaxing rays of the sun. The forehead relaxes, a light cool breeze blows on it. The eyelids close and sleep sets in.

exercise ball

Get into a comfortable sleeping position and close your eyes. Imagine a big ball that lies on the waves of the ocean and sways. Waves radiate from the ball in all directions. Once you have imagined this picture, all attention must be focused on the swaying of the ball and the waves coming from it.

This kind of meditation promotes relaxation, minimizes stress and helps to fall asleep quickly.

How to fall asleep in 10 minutes?

If the methods of falling asleep quickly did not help you, then you should consider how to fall asleep in 10 minutes. The following tips can help you achieve the desired result:

Go to bed at the same time. In this case, a deviation is allowed, but not more than 30 minutes. The ideal time to fall asleep is considered to be 10:00 pm, and the rise at 6-8 am.
Do not take invigorating drinks or food before bed. Even a cup of coffee, drunk in the afternoon, can cause problems with falling asleep. The last meal should be 3 hours before rest.
Try not to sleep during the day, as this will negatively affect your night's rest. Drive away evening drowsiness, at least half an hour before the planned lights out.

Another good way to fall asleep in 10 minutes is meditation. Consider the most effective psychological techniques:

Imagine your body in detail. Start at your fingertips, briefly tensing and relaxing each muscle. In this case, you need to breathe slowly and deeply. The last point should be the tip of the nose. As a rule, ten minutes is enough to complete this exercise and fall asleep.
Visualize the most beautiful and desirable place on earth for you. Imagine everything in great detail. This will allow you to gradually immerse yourself in a state of warmth and peace. You will not notice how pleasant visualization will lead to sleep.
Carousel breathing exercise - used by practicing psychologists, allows you to quickly relax, calm down and fall asleep. Lie down in bed and take a comfortable position, it is desirable that the arms and legs are not constrained. Breathe in and out slowly for each count. One is warm air coming through your right ear. Two - the air affects the shoulder of the right arm and hand. Hold your breath. Three - warm air again goes through the right ear. Four - warmth is exhaled from the hips to the legs and feet. Stop. Five - warm air again in the right ear. Six - a warm wave goes through the legs and feet. Seven - warm air near the ears. Hold your breath. Eight - slow exhalation, the air passes to the left ear. Nine - deep breath and pause. Ten - warm air permeates the whole body. Repeat the entire cycle in reverse order. At first, you will fall asleep in 4-5 cycles, but then drowsiness will roll in during the first cycle.

How to fall asleep in one minute and sleep well depends entirely on the preparation for a night's rest. Try to finish or postpone all important things, do not overeat and do not be nervous. Read your favorite book, listen to music, take a warm bath, or just daydream.

Sooner or later, all moms wonder how to help their baby sleep through the night.

Here he will have to ... teach. It is to teach, because the key skill in this case will be self-falling asleep. The fact is that we all naturally wake up several times a night, including children, and due to the fact that we can immediately fall asleep, most often we do not remember these awakenings. However, children must learn to fall asleep on their own without the help of motion sickness, breasts, nipples, etc., otherwise they will need your help again and again with every night awakening (and there can be up to 12-20 per night!).

When to start?

First of all, you need to understand that before the age of 3-4 months, the child is physiologically and neurologically not capable of the feat of even 6 hours of sleep without awakening. Both the need for food every 2-4 hours and the immaturity of the nervous system, which simply cannot provide a sufficient level of control over nervous excitation and inhibition, play a role here. Moreover, it is absolutely normal to keep 1-2 feedings per night up to 8-9 months.

Therefore, stock up on some patience, take a closer look at your child, listen to yourself - not all mothers are ready to stop the nightly feedings of their 6-month-old baby. The psychological mood of the mother is very important, because if she cannot follow her plan and returns to old habits, this will be a signal for the baby that the mother herself does not know what she wants and will have to insist on her desires. The next time after the failure, it will be more difficult to achieve the goal.

What's stopping you?

There are several reasons that keep your baby (and you) from sleeping for longer periods of time.

Finding out and eliminating these causes will help you get the whole family to sleep faster at night.

Negative associations - If your baby needs your help every time he falls asleep, then he has formed a negative association. For example, he can only fall asleep in your arms, during feeding, after long motion sickness, with a pacifier, etc. The point is that with normal partial awakenings, the baby does not know how to fall asleep on his own, he always relies on your help, he associates falling asleep only with rocking in your arms. The exclusion of such associations and, as a result, the acquisition of the ability to fall asleep on their own, will solve the problem of nocturnal awakenings;
Excessive fatigue of the child. No matter how strange it may sound, but excessive fatigue prevents your baby from sleeping. If he fits late for his age, lacks sleep during the day, then frequent night awakenings and an early rise before 6 in the morning are guaranteed to you;
Health problems. A food allergy, often a symptom of itchy skin, is not a good friend to a good night's sleep. If your little one snores in his sleep or often breathes through his mouth, he may be having difficulty breathing and should definitely be shown to the ENT for more than just a good night's sleep! There are more complex medical diagnoses, but parents are more likely to know about them and understand their consequences. In any case, consult your doctor if you have even the slightest suspicion that it is the physical condition of the child that does not allow him to sleep;
The habit of night feeding. Each mother decides for herself when it is time to stop night feedings. Someone sees the readiness of the child for 5-6 months, someone continues up to a year. On average, we can say with confidence that by 9 months, most children can physiologically do without night feedings. Often there remains an emotional moment - whether it is the habit of eating at night, the desire of the mother to extend the time of solitude with the baby, an attempt to compensate for the lack of mother's company during the day;
Environmental factors. Unfortunately, we cannot expect a child older than 2-3 months to be able to sleep in all conditions. Noise, new surroundings, light - all this will seriously interfere with children's (however, often adult) sleep. The good news is that this is the easiest cause to fix. Install blackout curtains, and in extreme cases, glue thick black garbage bags to the window panes - this will solve the problem of excess light. Organize a source of "white noise", it will absorb most of the home sounds. When changing environments, bring a bed sheet (not washed!), a favorite soft toy, and a blanket with you to help create the feeling of a home away from home;
Lack of attention. Children are very sensitive and smart creatures. If for some reason they cannot communicate enough time with their mother during the day, they find a way out - night awakenings. Don't beat yourself up if you're at work or have to spend time away from your child for family reasons, few people in our lives manage to be "perfect". It is possible to correct the situation.

The task of putting the little ones to bed is sometimes the most difficult task for parents of the day - especially if there are older children in the house who are not yet in bed.

Check out these tips to help your baby fall asleep easily:

How to make your baby sleep sound

The first step is to create a clear sleep schedule for your child. Focus on the time when you see that the child is already tired - let this be his bedtime. Try to complete the evening ritual by this time: bathe the child, feed (if he eats with appetite), read a book or sing a song, then wish good night and quietly leave the room.

But even if all the rituals are followed, it is not always possible to put the baby to bed for day or night sleep. Children's sleep can be affected by a change of room or bed, the loss of a favorite plush toy or pacifier, and finally another blanket. By following an evening ritual, you can help your little one cope with unexpected or planned changes in your family's life, whether it's a meeting of guests or a summer vacation. If the bedtime is getting longer, you can always shorten the evening ritual while maintaining the sequence of actions.

Related materials:

Library

What prevents a child from adjusting to sleep and how can caring parents help?

“He refuses to go to bed”, “He is naughty, cries, says he wants to play”, “Demands to eat or drink, just not to go to bed”, “Each time the process of laying ends in hysterics,” parents say. Why is this happening? What prevents a child from adjusting to sleep and how can caring parents help?

Why do children not like to sleep?

Where does the child's reluctance to go to sleep come from? American psychologist Alan Fromm proposes the following classification of causes:
1. For a child, going to bed means parting with some interesting activity or leaving a pleasant society (for example, working mom and dad).
2. Children know that adults have not yet gone to bed, and therefore they think that we are allowing ourselves something that they are not allowed to.
3. It often happens that children are not yet tired.
4. Sometimes children are afraid of the dark.
5. Perhaps the child had terrible dreams, and because of this, some dislike for sleep arose.
6. It is possible that by persuading the child to sleep, the adults spoiled him too much, and now this is a good reason to manipulate the parents.

signs of fatigue

It is very important to learn to notice the first signs of fatigue and fatigue, this will help to switch the child's attention and prevent overexcitation before bedtime. It's easy to do. If you have noted one or more of the following signs, your child most likely needs rest:
causeless crying, whims;
the baby begins to rub his eyes, yawn;
sucks a finger or a rattle, pulls a button, sucks his lip;
coordination of movements is disturbed, especially of hands, the child drops toys, makes mistakes in the game;
movements slow down, lethargy appears;
aggressive actions unusual for the child occur: scatters or takes away toys, screams, falls to the floor, etc .;
excessive activity may occur, unusual for the baby: aimlessly runs, jumps, pushes.

As soon as you notice the appearance of these signs, it's time to distract the child and put him in a sleepy mood.

Getting ready for bed

Bedtime is a good time to strengthen emotional closeness with your child. May it be enjoyable for both of you. Read a book to your baby, sing him a lullaby, give him a light massage, speak in a quiet and calm voice.

If the child is very emotional and active, use a short and simple phrase before bedtime, for example, "time to sleep." You may have to repeat it several times, but do it calmly, repeating in a neutral tone, without switching to command commands.

Give your child a toy "for good dreams." It can be a small soft toy (bear, bunny, dwarf, kitten, etc.). Tell your child that this toy will give him good and kind dreams. Take this toy with you when traveling, it's an easy way to give your little one a sense of security wherever they sleep.

Let your child take an active part in preparing for bed: choose a fairy tale, pajamas or a lullaby to listen to.

In order to prepare the child for sleep, you can also use "ritual games".

"Sleep Rituals"

It is often difficult for children to tear themselves away from their favorite game or watching TV when parents start talking about “it’s late and I need to sleep.” Therefore, so-called "sleeping rituals" can be used. On the one hand, they will calm the nervous system of the child, on the other hand, they will make the process of going to bed pleasant. These are quiet games and activities that should be daily, if possible, start at the same time and take no more than 30 minutes.

It is important to choose calm games so that emotional overexcitation does not occur. For a baby, this can be the same lullaby for the night. For children from one to three years old, you can use special games.

✔ For example, the game "Bear" ( E.V. Larechin). The adult shows the movements, and the child repeats after him.

The clumsy bear walks through the forest.
Collects cones, sings songs. (Show how Mishka walks through the forest.)
Suddenly a bump fell, right on Mishka's forehead. (Right hand touch forehead.)
The bear got angry and kicked the top. (Stomp foot on the floor.)
I will no longer collect cones. (“Threaten” with a finger.)
I'll get in the car and go to bed. (Put palms together and place on cheek.)

✔ Bunny game(L.A. Buldakova).

Pen - plop, another plop! The poor fell. (Alternately drop first one pen, then the other.)
As if the strings are hanging, like me, tired. (Easy shake hands, tired expression, sluggish - the whole body.)
Again, the bunny jumped and jumped, walks along the path. (Walk slowly across the floor.)
Together with him we will rest, rinse the legs. (Shake right, then left leg.)
We worked so hard with the bunny that we ourselves got tired.
Now let's go to rest, on my mother's knees. (Put the child on your knees and hug).

After such games, you can start cleaning toys, turning this process into a ritual game. You can say: "Toys are tired and want to sleep, we need to help them find their home."

In the process of preparing for bed, praise the baby for understanding that he needs to sleep, put away toys, etc.

For older children, reading a book together or having a quiet conversation before bed is a good idea. You can tell an "imaginary" story, giving you the opportunity to dream a little. Talk about a special place that your child is familiar with, such as a garden, clearing, or forest. Describe the place slowly, in a quiet and calm voice. Ask your child to close their eyes and try to imagine what you will be talking about. Talk about friendly animals, kind people, or wise men. When the child grows up, he will be able to continue the story himself.

After completing the ritual, calmly and firmly wish the child good night and leave the room.

Also try to follow rituals and bedtimes during travel, holidays, and when your child is sick. It is difficult for children to return to the established routine if it has been broken.

✔ Water games

Ritual games before going to bed can also be games with water. Water has a positive effect on the emotional state of the child. In contact with water, the child receives pleasant sensations. Many parents notice that when playing with water, children calm down and stop acting up. The sounds of running water have a beneficial effect, and playing with water relieves emotional stress.

You can use the following games:

✔ The game "Pour over". For this game you will need several cups and deep plates. Show your child how to draw water and pour it from one container to another. You can pour water into bowls from a small watering can, and then water the animals. Such games also develop coordination of movements and perseverance of the child.

✔ Game "Catch the ice". Dip a few ice cubes into a bowl of warm water and have your child catch them.

✔ Catch the toys game. Invite the child to throw toys into the water, and then catch them in different ways: with two fingers or with a sieve.

✔ Water mill game. Put the water mill in a bowl and show how to pour water on the blades of the mill to make them spin. Have the child place a bowl under the mill so that water gets in.

Night awakenings

All children have night terrors and nightmares from time to time. Night terrors can disturb even a one-year-old baby. The reason for this is the vivid emotional impressions that children are subject to in the same way as adults. If a child screams or cries in the middle of the night, lie down next to him, hug him and hold him close to you. The night terrors usually go away with time.

Night terrors rarely overcome a child under three years of age. They differ from fears in that the child remembers the content of a nightmare. Pay attention to the content of cartoons, fairy tales and computer games. Avoid overload and overwork by observing the daily routine.

If a child has a nightmare, do not be afraid to talk about it, do not blame the child for making it all up. On the contrary, ask to tell your dream or draw, let the child throw out the tension.

If nightmares are regular, consult a psychologist and neurologist.

How to teach a child to fall asleep on his own?

It is best to start teaching your child to fall asleep on their own at an early age. Sometimes put the baby in the crib while he is still awake, let him try to fall asleep on his own. At night, try not to take the child to your bed, but if necessary, go to him yourself.

After putting the child to bed, leave the room. If the child jumps up, lay him down again with the words: "Time to sleep." If after you leave the child gets up and starts crying, put him down again, repeating the phrase: "Time to sleep." Do not let your child seek entertainment in your company.

You can sit with the child until he falls asleep, but every evening increase the distance, moving further and further. For example, the first night you sit on the bed, the second night you sit on the chair next to the bed, the third night you sit on the chair at the end of the room, and so on. Finally, you find yourself at the door, then in the next room.

Try to put your baby to bed late to help him fall asleep faster, but gradually move the bedtime up to 15 minutes earlier each night until you reach an acceptable time.

So, to help your baby fall asleep, you can use the following tricks:

Set a bedtime and try to stick to it. Note signs of fatigue, if you miss this moment, the child will become overexcited and will have to be calmed down.

Establish a bedtime routine. Let this ritual be short - no more than 30 minutes. You can feed the child, then read a fairy tale or sing a song, change the child's clothes, then shake or massage.

Choose 1-2 games that your baby will like, they will be ritual games before bedtime.

You can give a soft toy that the child associates with sleep.

During the evening toilet, give the child the opportunity to play with water.
Good dreams to you and your baby!

Daily regime

This is the first and most important point. A disorganized child will suffer from the lack of a schedule himself. And not only him: parents will be deprived of the opportunity to even roughly plan their day, they will no longer cope with their own fatigue and nervousness, and will begin to get annoyed. The child will get tired of permissiveness, when everything is possible at any time. Therefore, it is necessary to know exactly what and when the baby does - walks, eats, plays, sleeps ... In this case, the child will fit into the schedule and after a while he will begin to fall asleep at the right time.

Sleep after eating

Neurologists advise following this rule: put the child to sleep after eating. Or at least not on an empty stomach. The fact is that physiologically the body is predisposed to rest at this particular time. Surely, you yourself have noticed how sleepy after a hearty meal.

"Slowdown" games

It's no secret that an overexcited child is more difficult to calm down. Therefore, about an hour before bedtime, you need to reduce activity, replacing outdoor games with board and calm ones. Thus, the body will tune in to falling asleep.

We read and sing

Laying the baby, you can read or sing to him. At the same time, do not try to pick up a very interesting and fascinating fairy tale. On the contrary, read “like a sexton” - monotonously, slowly, so that the listener wants to yawn! By the same principle we sing a song. You yourself will not notice how both the child and you yourself will fall asleep!

Rituals and traditions

Children honor traditions just as much as adults. Think of a habit you have and try to break it. See how difficult it will be for you. Likewise with a child. Come up with any ritual action before going to bed. For example, before going to bed, you sculpt from plasticine, play soldiers, stick stickers ... No matter what, the main thing is that this action precedes the subsequent dream. The child counts the sequence very quickly and will stick to it.

Yield to the child

If the baby is afraid to be alone in an unlit room, do not start to “develop” his character at night looking. Turn on a night light, a flashlight, or leave the door open to a lighted corridor. Some children sleep better if an adult is present in the room. Sit down and mind your own business. In other words, make concessions. The time will come and he will outgrow his fears.

pretend to be asleep

When all the songs are sung, the tales are read, the rituals are observed, and the child is still awake, you can try another remedy. It usually helps. Lie down next to your child and pretend to be asleep. When the parent is sleeping and no fun is expected, the young rebel will gradually quiet down and fall asleep at your side.