It’s a question Lee Health Pediatrician Dr. Melissa Bacchus often hears. “I commonly get he doesn’t like to go to sleep at night. They’re always waking up in the middle of the night. They can’t wake up in the morning for school. Why doesn’t my child sleep? Can we give them something for sleep?”

You may find melatonin on a pharmacy shelf, but Dr. Bacchus advises parents don’t purchase it for their kids. “It is not regulated by the FDA. There was a study done that shows we can have all these melatonin supplements, they all have varying amounts of melatonin, and it may not be the melatonin that is advertised on the bottle,” said Dr. Bacchus.

It’s all about changing routines. “Kids don’t want routine, but kids need routine. So we need to get into the habit. Let’s have at least three or four soothing things we do it no time to get ready for bed,” said Dr. Bacchus. “Most importantly, we need to have a set bedtime every single night. This is true for children, this is true for teenagers, and this includes school days and nonschool days. We have to have that because our body also craves routine.”

Its also important kids avoid the blue light from screens late in the evening. “Now we are confusing the brain because the blue light especially mimics the UV light of sunlight, so the brain thinks we are awake, when we should be sleeping,” said Dr. Bacchus.

Make sure your kids are eating nutritious meals, avoid added sugar and caffeine, and have dinner at least 2 hours before bedtime.




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Lee Health in Fort Myers, FL is the largest network of health care facilities in Southwest Florida and is highly respected for its expertise, innovation and quality of care. For more than 100 years, we’ve been providing our community with personalized preventative health services and primary care to highly specialized care services and robotic assisted surgeries. Lee Health Caring People. Inspiring Care.


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