Valerian for kids?
Many children cannot be calmed down in the evening. They do not want to fall asleep, are awake and rob the parents of a well-deserved break. So some parents give their children valerian before bedtime to help them fall asleep. There are a few methods you can use to calm your child down so that the house will be calm.
Valerian against sleep disorders in children
- Perhaps you are one of those parents who screams out loud in horror when you hear other parents give their children valerian to help them fall asleep. But there is really no reason for that. Valerian is not addictive and is even recommended by pediatricians for children with insomnia.
- Of course, it always depends on the reason why children cannot sleep. But if the child suffers from inner restlessness, valerian can be a suitable remedy.
- You must not forget that both the child and the parents suffer from the sleep disorder. Children need enough sleepto recover from the stressful days, to process the impressions in your sleep and to be able to grow healthily. Chronic lack of sleep leads to developmental disorders.
- Parents who cannot sleep properly for a night also suffer physically and mentally. Sleep deprivation is a tried and tested form of torture - ask a mother who cannot sleep during the day or at night; she will confirm it to you.
- In a study in which more than 900 children, an average age of about eight years, took part, they were given valerian and lemon balm daily for a period of one month. the complaints, because of which the children took part in the observational study, ranged from restlessness to sleep disorders and hyperactivity (Phytomedicine 13 (2006) 383-387).
- At the beginning of the study, more than 60 percent of the children suffered from insomnia, afterwards it was only 12.5%. The combination remedy was described as being well or very well tolerated by almost 97% of the children.
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When children can't sleep
- Before giving your child soothing substances like valerian, get them checked for other causes. Perhaps your children have a mild but chronic one snifflesthat prevents it from sleeping.
- Polyps can also lead to sleep disorders due to obstructed nasal breathing.
- Does your child have asthma? Then it can be through at night cough wakes up and therefore cannot sleep properly.
- However, it is also possible that children cannot sleep in the vicinity of the children's room. Maybe the room is too light or too dark, the walls are too thin so that you can hear the neighbors talking, or siblings have to share a room. These and other causes can lead to sleep disorders - but they are often relatively easy to fix.
- Do you have any bedtime rituals? Children need such rituals so that they can come to rest. After washing or bathing your child should be in the bed Read or tell another story, cuddle for a few minutes or review the day.
- However, there can also be serious causes behind sleep disorders, so that valerian cannot help much. Nightmares, mental disorders, anxiety disorders or depression often need therapy so that your child can sleep in peace again.
- If your child is having trouble sleeping, don't be afraid to go to the doctor and ask for help.
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