As the weather cools off, the holiday season is impending! First there’s Halloween candy, then there’s festive Thanksgiving, Christmas and Hanukkah desserts. 5 Little Monkeys has spent years researching children’s sleep patterns and needs in order to improve the quality of rest for your little ones. Habit-forming strategies and our award-winning mattress for kids make a world of difference. Here’s how to help your child watch their sugar intake to ensure they get a good night’s sleep.

How Sugar Impacts Sleep

Overconsumption of sugar causes the body to sleep less deeply, skipping very important REM cycles and increasing sugar cravings the next day. A pattern of fatigue and insomnia can be linked to an unhealthy diet. Put simply, eating sugar at night overstimulates you, and because children’s bodies are smaller these effects are amplified.

Limiting Treats Builds Healthy Habits

Not being able to eat all the candy at once isn’t always a bad thing! At 5 Little Monkeys we think that saving sugary treats for special occasions makes them taste a hundred times better. Rationing out the Halloween candy and eating just a few sweets at a time will not only make it last longer, but keep the amount of sugar your child’s body has to process at a healthier level. Framing these decisions as positive, like making the candy last, rather than as a limit or punishment, will allow your child to feel better about forming these good habits.

Substitute Healthier Snacks

To avoid stomach aches and restless nights, introduce your child to delicious candy alternatives, healthy snacks that can be treated like sweets and are just as fun. Things like homemade popsicles, honey-roasted nuts, popcorn, and vegetable chips are festive to eat and won’t keep your child up at night.

Choose a Mattress Made for Kids

The foundation of healthy sleep is a sleep environment that supports the body psychologically and physically. That means that everything is taken into account, such as materials, scale, temperature control, and firmness, as we’ve done with our 5 Little Monkeys mattress. If you’d like to try our mattress risk-free, contact us today! Read our reviews and visit our blog for more information.