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Sleep and diet

If your child is having trouble sleeping, it may be worth checking his diet. Suzannah Olivier, author of Healthy Food for Happy Kids, investigates

If your child has trouble sleeping at night you will want to make sure that you establish a regular routine. Avoid excitement, or action-packed TV or videos late at night. Wakefulness may be a sign of emotional troubles and some children find it hard to verbalise what is troubling them. Any changes in symptoms, such as sleep patterns, should alert a parent to the potential of other problems, such as bullying at school, difficulty accepting a new sibling, or another emotional issue. Dietary things to check for include:

• Caffeine This is a stimulant, which keeps kids awake. It is found in tea, coffee - though hopefully your child won't be drinking this!- colas, chocolate, and some medicines.
• Excess sugar, especially too late at night. It may also be the case that an excessive sugar habit is leading to wakefulness resulting from a blood sugar dip in the middle of the night. If you suspect this, provide a wholesome protein or complex carbohydrate snack just before bed and have something on standby to eat during the night if the need arises (but not for small children, where there is a risk of choking). Suitable options are a warm milky drink (not sugary), oatcakes or a banana (not over-ripe).
• Water Sometimes a child might be waking up because of thirst, though they may be too groggy to realise this is the reason. It may be worth offering some water.
• Food additives might be causing your child to react adversely. This is particularly common if your child normally avoids these but goes to stay with indulgent grandparents or at friends' houses and eats coloured sweeties, drinks or puddings. It can take a day or two, and a sleepless night or two, for them to come back down to earth.
• Herbs that can help to improve sleep quality, and which are safe for children, include: oats (which is why an oat drink late at night works well), vervaine and camomile.

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